The Shoshone and the Poleepkwa
by Cute Fierce Kitten
Summary: A young woman befriends a young, orphaned Poleepkwa and together they discover the love of friendship.
1. The Introduction

**Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!**

**Edited on**** 7-27-10**

* * *

A young woman stood in her khaki outfit that consisted of a small vest and trunks. The clothes contrasted well with her tan complexion and her lengthy black hair, which she had pulled back in a ponytail. Her bangs partially shielded her eyes from the sun and gave a more innocent, youthful look to her heart-shaped face.

She stood at the border of District 9, observing the alien activity through the barbed wire fence. Some aliens moved about scavenging and rummaging through heaps of junk and trash. Those that weren't scavenging were either interacting with each other, or just passing by ignoring the others around them. They were fascinating to watch. So different in many ways, yet so similar.

This young woman had traveled all the way from the United States to South Africa in hopes to study and learn more about the aliens and maybe even interact with them. She came to this country on her own behalf and against her family's wishes.

They had warned her about getting too close to the aliens in District 9. Getting too close to a hostile alien could put her in danger, or get her killed. Nobody had anything good to say about the aliens.

A couple of small aliens in a distance chasing each other and playing among the junk piles drew her attention. She figured that the small aliens were at a grade school age. Young and oblivious. They reminded her of her younger cousins playing in her grandmother's junkyard of countless old, broken vehicles and appliances. It was her favorite playground where she would get lost in her own world. It also served as a hang out spot for all of her friends and family whenever they had gatherings.

The two small aliens disappeared into a nearby shack.

"_What are you doing here?"_

The young woman was startled by the sudden voice of a small alien that stood in front of her. He stood no more than two feet and had an earthly color to his exterior. A dark beige color to be exact. She peered into his green eyes that gazed up at her so curiously.

"I'm just watching." She replied.

"_Why are you watching?" _he asked curiously.

"I want to learn more about your kind."

"_Why?"_

"Because I'm interested in your people."

"_But why?"_

She chuckled at his persistence. He reminded her of her little cousin Brooke, whose curiosity prompts her to constantly pester the young woman with so many questions. Simple questions like "Why is the sky blue?"

"Well, I guess it's because I've never seen an alien up close. And you're the first." She replied, kneeling down closer to his level and hoping that it would make it easier for him to open up more.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"_Aaron." _he replied.

"Hey, that's cool. I have a cousin by that name, but he's not as cute as you are."

She noticed Aaron fidgeting and looking around as if to see if anyone was watching them. Then he slowly walked in between the gaps of the barbed wire fence with ease, walking from District 9 to her side of the fence, and stood right in front of her. His innocent, green eyes peered into her slanted, brown eyes.

The young woman was shocked to see the small alien so close in front of her. She felt the need to reach out and touch him, but decided to keep her hands to herself. She knew that she had always wanted to meet an alien up close, but did not expect to meet a child.

"_You have a cousin named Aaron?" _he asked so curiously.

The young woman chuckled and replied, "Yeah!"

"_How many cousins do you have?"_

"Thirty, maybe forty. I don't really know. Do you have any cousins?"

Aaron peered off into the distance, as if he was thinking. _"I don't think I do.__" _he replied and moved a little closer to her. His curious eyes peering up at her. _"What is your name?"_

"Sequoya." she replied and held out her hand to him. Aaron flinched a little and stepped back. He looked at her hand, glancing up at her.

"_Is this how humans greet each other?" _

Sequoya nodded her head. He did the same with his hand and held it in front of her, thinking that it was the correct way humans greet each other. Then she gently grasped his hand into hers and gave it a quick shake, but didn't let go. She watched curiously as his antennas twitched wildly and wondered what sort of emotions he was feeling.

* * *

He felt the warmth of her hand comforting his as she held it so tenderly. Even the intense heat of the sun didn't compensate for the comfort that he felt within the grasp of her gentle touch.

Aaron finally looked up and met her gaze. Her human eyes giving him a welcomed gaze. A friendly smile appeared on her face. He had been close to humans before, but never this close. When she let go of his hand, he slowly withdrew his hand and watched her cautiously. He had been so curious up until this point. Humans were known to be prejudice and violent around his kind, so he slowly took a step back in case she turned on him.

"Where are your parents?" she asked while adjusting her position to sit down.

_"They are dead." _he replied and watched her make herself comfortable on the ground. He noticed her black hair was so long that the ends were touching the ground, mingling with the dirt as she sat down.

"Dead? Then you're an orphan like me." she said, her smile slightly faded.

_"You are an orphan too?"_

"Yeah. I was only five years old when my parents died."

_"You knew them?" _

"Yeah, but only for a little while. I wished I would've known them more. The first five years aren't good enough. How long did you know your parents before they passed?"

Aaron shook his head at her and replied, _"I never knew them. They were killed before I had a chance to see them." _

He noticed her smile had completely faded and she looked to the ground. "I'm sorry you never got a chance to know them."

He looked at her puzzled. Was she relating to him? A human was feeling sorry for a young Poleepkwa she had just met. She was beginning to amaze him with her understanding. Maybe they weren't so different after all.

There was a moment of silence between them, before they continued their conversation about their families. This was the beginning of their new friendship.


	2. The Poleepkwa

**Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!**

* * *

As the sun settled into the horizon, the alien activity began to wear down. The younglings went home to their parents and the more dangerous Poleepkwans emerged from their dwellings.

Aaron hurried home before his older brother David got off work and discover him missing. Aaron had spent most of the day talking to Sequoya. The first human he had spoken to outside of District 9. Sequoya never showed him any hostility, only hospitality. Despite his brother's warnings about humans, Aaron had associated with one whose very essence was kindhearted and sweet. He had learned that she was an orphan like him and had been raised by her aunt and uncle. He was orphaned when his parents were killed in a riot while he was a hatchling. He also learned that Sequoya has a large extended family. She is the only child with numerous cousins from her mother's side and her father's side.

There were so many interesting facts about Sequoya that left him with so many questions. She promised to come back the next day to answer all of his questions.

When he finally reached the shack, the front door swung open and he stopped dead in his tracks as he looked up to find the large, red Poleepkwa glaring down at him with rage in his green eyes.

"_Where have you been?" _he yelled at him.

Aaron flinched at his harsh tone and looked down, trying not to meet his brother's gaze. Too afraid to tell him the truth. He knew that it would only fuel his rage.

"_I was playing with …Oliver."_

"_I told you to be home before sunset!"_

"_I know."_

"_You know how dangerous this place could be at night!"_

"_I know. I'm sorry."_

"_Your apology does not make up for your incompetence."_

David grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside the shack. He slammed the door with much force that shook the walls causing Aaron to flee under the table. David was usually agitated after work, since his human boss gives him a hard time. David worked at a local shop, loading and unloading heavy equipment and supplies. It was normal for him to return home with a short temper.

Aaron always stayed on his best behavior, so as to avoid being punished for anything that he was suppose to have done wrong and sometimes for no apparent reason. He couldn't help his own curiosity and his questioning is a nuisance to David.

David moved about throwing things around in the shack and cursing under his breath. Aaron remained under the table, watching and waiting for his temper to subside. It had only been a week since David unintentionally struck him in the head with a wrench. He tried to fix a broken chair and threw the wrench when he got impatient and frustrated. Aaron just happen to be passing by minding his own business, and walked right into the path of the flying wrench. It was one of many incidents that would happen as a result of David's unpredictable outbursts.

"_I'm so sorry." _He would always say, and then give him a warning._ "But next time don't get in the way!"_

His words were always insensitive and uncaring. Even though, David really does care, he doesn't know how to show it.

David had taken a moment to calm down when he remembered that he had something important to tell Aaron.

"_Aaron."_ He called out to him in a much calmer tone.

Aaron slowly emerged from under the table, but kept his distance from David. _"Yes."_

"_There's something I need to tell you." _He carefully approached Aaron._ "I'm going to be working double shifts again."_

This meant that Aaron had to go over to Christopher's place until David gets back on regular day shifts. David's normal work hours are 8 am to 4 pm and working double shifts his hours are extended from 8am to midnight. Sunday was his only day off for each week. The one day that they cherish most.

Aaron felt depressed that he would only get to see his brother once a week and wished that they could spend more family time together. He felt relief that he didn't have to worry about his early curfew and his brother's bad temper. He felt confident that it would mean spending more time with his new human friend and David wouldn't have to know.

"_For how long?"_ Aaron asked, trying to sound more depressed to hide his excitement.

"_One month."_

_"One month?" _Aaron gasped.

"_Yes." _David responded,_ "We need the extra cash."_

"_Why is that important?"_

"_So we can afford better food and better things."_

"_Why don't you just get another job with better pay? That way we can …"_

"_Why do ask stupid questions?"_ David snapped, making Aaron tremble a little.

"_I don't know."_

"_No! It's not that you don't know. You just don't understand. You're too young to understand anything."_

Aaron knew that if he tried to argue with him, he would get punished for it. He remained silent as David continued about how he was trying to better their lives with the extra money. Aaron began to wonder how can life be better in District 9. They are forced to live in shacks when they were denied running water and electricity. They were forced to live in poverty when they were denied most jobs with decent paying wages. Some were forced to commit crimes when they had no jobs and no money to provide for their hatchlings or themselves. Some reverted to savagery in which they take what they want and kill who they want whether it was a human or a Poleepkwa.

Aaron understood well about the situation they were in. He waited for David to finish his rants about the MNU and the human race, so he could ask an important question.

"…_.that's why you should stay away from the MNU, no matter how friendly they appear." _David concluded.

Aaron only nodded his head in acknowledgement and asked, _"When are we going to eat?"_

David placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder and replied, _"Soon!"_


	3. The Shoshone

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own District 9!**

* * *

The magenta color of the early morning sun rays illuminates the cloudless sky. Sequoya had awakened to the sun beaming in through the open window of her cheap hotel room. She laid there in bed peering out the window with tired eyes, watching the flaring colors of the sun and the sky, and feeling the morning breeze caress her face. It was such a beautiful morning.

A smile appeared on Sequoya's face as she began thinking about Aaron and what they had planned for today. She had so many questions to ask Aaron, and yet knew that for someone his age he might not have all the answers. She wanted to know everything about Aaron just as much as he wanted to know everything about her. She learned that Aaron has an older brother named David, who works to provide for the two of them.

Sequoya slowly got out of bed, stretching her arms, and dragged her tired feet as she walked to get her luggage at the foot of the queen sized bed. She grabbed the handles of the luggage and dragged it along with her to the bathroom. As she was preparing for the day, she began recalling the last conversation she had with her cousin Dria before she came to this country. Sequoya and Dria grew up like sisters. It was Dria's parents who took the liberty of caring for Sequoya after her parents were killed in a car accident.

* * *

Sequoya and Dria had been preparing for their last dinner together on the night before Sequoya's departure.

"How long will you be gone?" Dria asked Sequoya while cutting up vegetables for the stew.

"I don't know. Maybe the whole summer." She replied while kneading the dough to make frybread with her petite hands covered in flour.

"The whole summer?"

"Yup."

"Are you sure about this trip? I mean, what if those aliens aren't what you expect them to be."

"That's the reason why I'm going on this trip. I wanna see the aliens for myself, and maybe interact with them. I don't want to base my opinion on other people's opinions about the aliens."

Dria stopped cutting the vegetables for a moment and looked at Sequoya, "Is it that important to you?"

Sequoya turned her head to meet Dria's gaze, still kneading the dough, and replied, "Well, yeah! If it wasn't important, would I be going in the first place?"

"Yeah, but …" Dria paused and turned her gaze to the stew.

"But what?"

Dria replied in a more serious tone, "Is it more important than learning about your own culture?"

Sequoya thought about the question for a moment. It was one of those questions that needed a well thought out answer, especially when you belong to one of the Native American tribes that are struggling to maintain what is left of their culture. She wanted to give Dria an honest answer, since Dria is the only person who seemed to understand her better than the rest of her family. Even when Sequoya mentioned going out of the country to her family, Dria was one of the main supporters of her decision. Her aunt and uncle, however, did not approve. Not that she needed their approval or anybody else's approval. The rest of her extended family had mixed reactions. Some were distraught and didn't know what to say. Some were angry and criticized her. Some were proud and encouraged her.

"I've learned what I can from our own culture. What more can I learn? The language is hard to come by since nobody in our family speaks Shoshone fluently, except for grandma. I just need to get away from this place for awhile. I'm not gonna learn anything new if I stay here."

Dria carefully placed all the cut vegetables into the boiling stew, then she replied, "Well, I'm happy for you. I think that there should be more people like you. People around here shouldn't be afraid to go beyond their boundaries. Some people around here need to at least get a life and do something."

"Yeah," Sequoya stopped kneading and placed the dough into a large bowl. She grabbed a piece of the dough and dipped it in flour. Then she began shaping the dough, preparing to fry it in heated vegetable oil.

Frybread and stew was what they had on their last dinner together. This is the kind of meal that her family would often serve for every special occasion.

* * *

Sequoya came out from the bathroom dressed in her lavender tank top and denim jeans. She carefully brushed through the damp, long lengths of her black hair. The ends of her hair reached below her waist. People often compliment her about the length of her hair. She would often put it up in a ponytail and sometimes braid it to keep it from tangling in the wind. She could easily wield it like a whip if she wanted to. Having longer hair requires extra care.

After she fixed her hair up in a braided ponytail, she left the hotel and walked to her destination. On her way there she decided to shop around at a few stores to stock up on some snacks for the day. She was too anxious to shop, she couldn't wait to see Aaron. She got what she needed and hurried over to District 9, carrying a paper bag full of goodies for the two of them.

She hoped that Aaron will be there waiting for her, in that same spot where they met yesterday.

* * *

_Sorry about the wait, I'm writing two stories. Feel free to ask any questions you might have on this story!_


	4. Dreamcatcher

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own District 9, but I do own Sequoya, Aaron, and David.**

* * *

Aaron awakened to find himself snuggled close to Christopher's side. His warmth provided him a great source of comfort. One of which he wished that David could provide. This seemed to be the only thing that he lacked in his life, other than feeling lonely and afraid all the time. Christopher is his only father figure, the only one to show him compassion and kindness. Unlike David, Christopher was patient with him. When Aaron would do something he wasn't suppose to do, Christopher would always give him a warning. As for David, he would always do something that he would later regret, giving him a warning afterwards. The problem seemed to be that David has no patience and always taking action before thinking about the consequences later on. The total opposite of Christopher.

Aaron laid there by Christopher's side wishing that the warmth could never leave him and wishing that Christopher was his father. Oliver, snuggled on the other side, had awakened, waking up his father as well. Aaron let out a disgruntled chirp as Christopher rose from his slumber, taking away Aaron's state of bliss. He knew that once Christopher gets up it was time for them to get up and start their usual routine.

The first thing they do is go fetch the water from the well for them to wash up and get ready. Then they eat breakfast which is usually canned food stored down in their secret place, or sometimes they eat cooked meat. And then Christopher goes to work while Oliver and Aaron go to their unofficial school where the Poleepkwan elders teach the younglings and sometimes tell stories about their home world. Aaron loved hearing their stories. He had dreamed of one day visiting their home planet.

Aaron and Oliver each carried a large, empty bucket and then they follow Christopher to the well. The well wasn't very far from where they lived, and not very many Poleepkwa use it because of the new water supply the Nigerians offered them. However, a fee was charged in order to use their water. The fee wasn't expensive, which drew in many Poleepkwa. The Nigerians used this to their advantage to further exploit them, sometimes even bribing them with cat food to come use their running water. Christopher never trusted them. He heard of some Poleepkwans going missing and are never heard from again. He would often warn Aaron and Oliver never to venture too close to the Nigerian compound. The Nigerians were also known to capture the younglings to try to recruit them into their gang.

They reached the well and fill the buckets with cold, fresh water. Christopher carried the two heavy buckets while Aaron and Oliver followed. Oliver hopped happily while Aaron trailed behind taking a glimpse toward the fence every so often. He wondered if he should tell Christopher and Oliver about his encounter with the friendly human. They were prone to understand that not all humans are as bad as some Poleepkwa say they are. He then wondered if Sequoya had kept her promise to meet him again.

When he first saw her standing by the fence on the other side, he thought that maybe she was lost. Often times he was always wandering off into his own world and playing by himself. That's when he spotted Sequoya walking up to the fence and he hid within the junk piles, blending in perfectly with the gravel. He thought that maybe she was one of the MNU workers sent to check on the Poleepkwa activity, but then why send an MNU worker alone to District 9, let alone a female human. She did not appear to be affiliated with the MNU and was obviously not a prostitute working for the Nigerians, otherwise she would be on their side of the fence soliciting to the older Poleepkwa. She didn't seem to be doing any harm by just standing by the barbed wire fence and watching. That's when Aaron's curiosity took over and he decided to approach her.

"_Aaron!"_ Oliver's voice startled Aaron out of his thoughts, _"What are you looking at?"_

Aaron shook his head, _"Nothing. Just thinking."_

"_Father said to keep up." _Oliver said in his cheery tone. He turned and ran to his father who stood and waited for them. Aaron trailed behind Oliver, matching his pace with his. Aaron enjoyed being in Oliver's company, since they're so close in age.

Christopher waited for the younglings to catch up, and then continued onwards to his shack. Once they got there, Christopher took the two buckets full of water down to the secret place while the younglings followed close behind. Aaron knew that he and Oliver were not allowed to play down there, but they were allowed to help Christopher in whatever he needed done. Aaron liked to call it their secret place, since Christopher keeps the ship well hidden from the MNU and they don't seem to suspect a thing.

Christopher had some kind of storage device for their canned food that mainly consisted of fruits and vegetables. It was a narrow, metallic, cylinder shaped container that had come from the mother ship. He used it to instantly freeze or heat their food and water.

He placed the two buckets of water into a small compartment within the storage device and with less than a minute the water was steamy hot, but not too hot for the younglings. Aaron and Oliver waited anxiously by Christopher's side as he took the buckets of water out of the storage device. He carried the buckets back up to the shack and poured the hot water into a small tub. The small tub was actually a part of a sink found within the rubbles of junk. Christopher had repaired and cleaned it thoroughly before he used it as a tub for Oliver.

Aaron and Oliver hopped right into the tub soon after Christopher was done emptying the second bucket. The younglings happily played and splashed about.

"_Settle down you two!"_ Christopher said placing each hand on the younglings to keep them from splashing.

They obeyed him as he placed several tablets into the water. The tablets contained a cleaning solution and dissolved quickly in heated water, so as long as the younglings soaked and played in the water for more than 15 minutes they would be clean.

Aaron loved the hot baths. Having a buddy to play with was even better. He wished that life could be this good in his own home. David never gave Aaron a hot bath. He always got his water supply from the Nigerians, and the water was never heated.

After the younglings got done with their bath, they ate freshly cooked meat that Christopher had prepared for them. Aaron devoured his meat in seconds leaving no trace. Christopher and Oliver, however, took their time savoring every bite. Aaron waited patiently for them to finish, then they got ready and left the shack. Christopher walked the younglings to their school.

Along the way, Aaron looked out toward the fence wondering if he should tell Christopher about his plans to spend the day with his human friend. He didn't want to go wandering off without Christopher wondering where he was heading off to. Besides, they made a promise to each other some time this morning and Aaron had forgotten all about school when he made the promise. Skipping school was not part of his plan, but he was willing to give up his time from school in order to be with Sequoya.

"_Christopher! There is something I want to tell you."_

Christopher glanced at Aaron as they were walking and asked, _"What is it?"_

"_I made a new friend yesterday and …..I was wondering if ……it was okay if I could go play with my new friend instead of going to school today."_

Christopher and Oliver were surprised to hear this. They knew how eager Aaron always was to go to school.

"_It's good that you're making new friends, Aaron. But can't you wait until after school?"_

Aaron shook his head no. Oliver then said, _"Maybe you will see your new friend at school. We can all play together."_

"_No. She won't be at the school."_

"_She?" _Christopher asked. Aaron nodded his head. _"Is she an older friend?" _

"_Yes. We promised to meet somewhere." _Aaron gazed up at Christopher with pleading eyes and asked, _"Please! Can I go see her?"_

"_You can see her after school."_

"_Really? I can see her!"_

"_Yes." _Christopher said and then continued in a more serious tone, _ "After school!"_

Disappointed, Aaron put his head down in defeat. He hoped that Christopher would let him skip school, at least he tried.

They arrive at the school where their sessions are held in several large shacks. The shacks were still not large enough to house the growing number of young Poleepkwans, so they held most of their sessions outside. Christopher kneeled down closer to Aaron and Oliver. Oliver jumped and latched onto his father, giving him a big hug. Aaron watched them embrace each other with the upmost care and love they had for one another. If only he could have that with David.

Christopher scooped up Aaron with his free arm, startling him a little, and gave him a hug as well while still embracing Oliver with his other arm. Aaron wrapped his arms around Christopher's neck, sharing his embrace with Oliver. Even though, Aaron had no relation to them at all, they truly made him feel like he was part of their family.

Christopher carefully placed them down.

"_I'll be back to pick you two up later." _He said to them.

The younglings nodded to him and watch him leave for work. Aaron grabbed Oliver by the arm before he could run into the shacks.

"_What?"_ Oliver said trying to pull his arm away.

Aaron waited until Christopher was out of view before he answered, _"Can you keep a secret?"_

"_A secret?" _Oliver's eyes lit up as if Aaron had offered him a piece of candy. He nodded his head and replied,_ "Yes."_

Aaron looked down at his feet shifting nervously._ "Do you promise not to tell your father?"_

"_I promise."_

"_I'm not going to school today."_

"_Why?"_

"_I'm going to see my new friend. We made a promise to see each other again. Please don't tell your father that I skipped school. I don't want him to worry."_

"_Okay! But will you be back before he comes to pick us up?"_

"_I don't know. But if I don't, tell him that I went to go see my friend and I will be back before sunset."_

"_Okay! But who is your friend?"_

Aaron began shifting even more nervously. He debated whether he should tell him or not. He considered Oliver his best friend, and he never held back secrets from him. _"Her name is Sequoya."_

"_Sequoya? That is a funny name for a Poleepkwa. Which shack does she live in?"_

"_She doesn't live in District 9. She is human."_

Oliver's eyes grew wide in shock and replied, _"A human?"_

"_Yes. Please don't tell your father she's human. If he finds out then David will find out."_

"_Don't worry. I will not tell him anything."_

Aaron knew he could trust Oliver not to tell, even though he hated keeping secrets from Christopher and David.

"_Thank you!" _he told Oliver.

* * *

Sequoya walked up to the fence on the same spot where she had first met Aaron, the cute little alien who had as much interest in her as she had with him. She set the paper bag down beside her to rest her tired arms. She stared out beyond the fence, hoping to find Aaron approaching from a distance. She honestly did not know which direction Aaron had came before. She knew that he had approached her without her noticing. He had a dark beige exoskeleton that blended closely with the dirt and rubble around them.

She placed her hand on a piece of the barbed wire and waited for Aaron to arrive. It wasn't long before she thought she had seen something moving within the rubble not too far in front of her. She leaned her head forward a little closer to the fence, trying to get a better look and trying not to cut herself from the razor sharp barbs. Then she heard gun shots ring out in a distance that terrified her. She moved away from the fence and frantically looked around to find the source.

"_Sequoya!"_

She looked down in front of her to find the little alien walking through the huge gaps in the fence and approached her.

"Aaron!" she said and crouched down as Aaron came closer to her, "I'm so glad you came."

More gun shots ring out and this time a little closer, every shot making Sequoya twitch in terror.

"_It's okay." _Aaron reassured her, placing his hand on her arm, _"It's just the Nigerians."_

"Why are they shooting around?"

"_I don't know. I think they do it just for fun."_

Sequoya can hear the men shouting in the distance along with the gun shots that echoed across the territory. She looked down at Aaron's tiny hand touching her forearm. His little fingers on her skin. He quickly recoiled when he noticed her looking at his hand.

"_I'm sorry." _He apologized as if he offended her, _"I didn't mean to …."_

"Oh, no. It's okay. Don't be sorry." She reached out with both her hands and grabbed his hands, bringing him a little closer to her. "We're friends now!"

She noticed his little mandibles making a widening sort of expression which she can only guess was a smile. She smiled back at him. She peered into his jade green eyes, the one detail that seemed to stand out from the rest of him. His gaze turned to the paper bag sitting next to them on the ground.

"_What do you have in the bag?"_

"I bought some snacks for the two of us."

"_I'm not hungry right now."_

"I know. I just thought I'd bring some snacks for us. In case we get hungry later on, since we're gonna spend all day getting to know each other better."

Sequoya gently let go of his hands and reached for something in the paper bag. "I got something for you."

She pulled out a small dreamcatcher and showed it to him. Aaron took the small strange object and looked at it carefully. Sequoya watched him examine the dreamcatcher.

"That's the only thing I didn't buy. I made it back at home. I thought I'd give it to you as a gift."

"_What is this?"_

"It's a dreamcatcher."

"_What is it for?"_

"It is a charm used to catch all the dreams and filters them out to protect you from the bad dreams."

Aaron held the dreamcatcher close to him and gazed up at Sequoya. He had never received a gift before. It was also a strange gift, but it was the first gift he had ever received, especially from a human.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

Aaron grinned and replied,_ "I like it. Thank you!"_

They hear more gun fire in the distance, ruining their moment of peace and quiet.

"Do you wanna get out of here?"

Aaron nodded his head eagerly. Sequoya picked up the paper bag.

"Where do you think we should go? I haven't had the chance to go sightseeing around this place."

"_The park. I know a spot where they allow Poleepkwa."_

"Cool. We can hang out there."

Sequoya crumpled the top part of the paper bag, turning it into a large brown bag for their soon-to-be lunch meal.

"Lead the way!"

_"Okay!" _Aaron reached out and grabbed her hand, leading her away from the foresakened territory he called home.

* * *

How was that for a long chapter? Originally, these were going to be two different chapters but I decided to put them together. The next chapter I haven't quite figured out yet. Please let me know what you guys think!


	5. Culture

**Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!**

* * *

After spending an hour walking through the streets and alley ways, Sequoya and Aaron finally arrived at the park. Sequoya noticed the fences that divided the park in two different sections. One side of the park was bigger than the other side. As they walked along the sidewalk by the larger section of the park, Sequoya noticed the sign at the entrance that read, For Humans Only. She stopped and looked at the sign. Flashbacks of the old pictures resurfaced in her mind when she was in history class. Pictures of the frontier days when Native Americans were banned to go into certain places. The signs that would often read: No Indians Allowed. It was one of the things she hated about history. The slaughter and the oppression of her ancestors by the white man, and in Aaron's case, it was the human race.

They reach the other side of the park where a few Poleepkwa lingered about. Sequoya looked for any signs to make sure that it was okay for her to enter. There was only a sign showing a symbol of a Poleepkwa with no words. Sequoya stopped at the entrance as soon as Aaron ran through with much excitement. He turned to look at Sequoya and waited for her to follow him. She decided to risk it and enter the Poleepkwan park. She eyed the Poleepkwa in the corner of the park and hoped that they won't try anything to drive her out. After all she was in their territory.

_"Humans are allowed in all of the park."_ Aaron said while taking Sequoya's hand and leading her toward the playground. _"We are only allowed on this side."_

"You mean, humans can come on this side of the park, even though its for the Poleepkwa?"

_"Yes, but humans are afraid to come on this side."_

"I don't think it's fair that they didn't divide the park in half. The Poleepkwa should have the same privileges as the humans."

_"But we don't."_

"Doesn't that make you angry?"

Aaron looked up to meet Sequoya's gaze and said, _"I don't think about it."_

She gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Why not?"

_"Why should I? I would rather be happy. I don't want to be angry all the time. At least we should be thankful for some of the things we get. This park is big enough for us."_

"You're right but …" she paused for a moment after thinking about Aaron's words. He wanted to be happy and she didn't want to persist and take that away from him. She knew how much he wanted to come here, to have fun and forget about reality. She wanted to do the same. The reality she had back at home couldn't possibly be any worse than Aaron's.

_"Can you push me on the swing?"_ Aaron asked excitedly, pointing at the set of swings in the playground.

"Sure." She said.

Aaron happily sat on the swing while Sequoya set the paper bag on the ground and grabbed the seat and slowly stepped back pulling him high.

"Are you ready?"

Aaron chirped happily and nodded his head. She gently pushed him as he swung back and forth. She giggled at the little sounds Aaron would make every time she pushed him a little higher.

_"Higher, higher!"_ Aaron called out.

Sequoya pushed him as high as he can go. Once he reached the highest point, he quickly turned himself around on the seat in a crouching position. He saw the puzzled look on Sequoya's face when he came swinging back at her. When he got close enough, he leaped from the swing onto Sequoya's shoulders. She caught him and staggered back, hitting the fence behind her. She turned her head to check on Aaron, making sure that he didn't hit his face on the fence.

_"I scared you didn't I."_ He said with a smirk.

She chuckled a little and replied, "Don't scare me like that."

_"I made you smile."_

"Yeah! And I made you smile too."

She watched Aaron's antennas twitch with delight. He rested his head on her left shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her a hug. She leaned forward to set him down, but he clung to her like glue, refusing to let go. She straightened out her posture and rubbed her hand on his back.

"What's the matter Aaron? Don't you wanna go play." She spoke softly to him.

Aaron lifted his head to look at her and replied, _"I do, but …."_ He looked away and stared off into the distance in deep thought.

"But what?"

_"I'm supposed to be in school."_

"Why didn't you say something before? I would've waited for you."

_"I couldn't wait to see you."_

"Well, next time let me know. We can plan around your schedule."

_"What about your schedule?"_

"Me? I don't have one. I'm free anytime of the day. Whenever you have free time we can get together and hang out."

_"Okay!"_

"So, what do you wanna do next?"

Aaron looked around the playground. He noticed a Poleepkwa standing under a tree, staring at them. The other Poleepkwa that were there before had left. They were alone in the park with another Poleepkwa who didn't seem to be doing anything but watching them. Aaron didn't know whether if he knew him or not, the dark shade from the tree concealed the Poleepkwa's features. Aaron decided to ignore him and thought that maybe he was just intrigued to find a human with a little Poleepkwan.

_"Let's go to the merry go round. You can make it spin fast."_

"Okay."

Sequoya set Aaron down and followed him to the merry go round. They spent a short time there after Sequoya's arms grew tired after spinning the merry go round many times. They spend hours it seemed playing in the playground. They went through the big slide and climbed all over the monkey bars. Sequoya felt like a kid again. She had worn herself out trying to catch Aaron while they played tag. He was incredibly fast and easily evaded her touch. She couldn't seem to catch him as they ran around the playground and around the trees. She settled down on the grass in the shade of a tree, stretching out her legs and panting. Aaron ran near the tree and stood beside her.

_"You give up!"_

"You're too fast for me." She panted.

_"I can slow down for you."_

"No, that's okay. I think it's time we had our lunch."

They went to the bench that had the most shade and sat down. Sequoya let Aaron sit on her lap. The food that she had brought consisted of apples, peanuts, and a tuna sandwich which they split in half. She watched him devour the tuna sandwich in a matter of seconds. She chuckled at the mess of bread crumbs that clung to his little mandibles.

"Here." She said pulling out a napkin and handing it to him. "You got crumbs on your face."

He wiped off the crumbs and began chewing on the napkin.

"No. That's not for eating." She said and took the napkin from him.

_"But my brother lets me chew on the rag."_ He whined.

"Aaron, it's not a rag. It's a napkin. You don't chew on them."

_"I know."_

He grabbed an apple and took a huge bite. He then watched Sequoya taking small bites out of her sandwich. He thought it was kind of funny that he practically sucked down his food and she was taking her time to eat hers. He wondered how different the Shoshone humans were to the rest of the human race.

_"Sequoya, do you remember when you promised to tell me about the Shoshones?"_

"Yeah!" she said after taking a small bite from her sandwich. "Do you want me tell you?"

Aaron nodded his head eagerly as if he was going to hear an interesting, exciting story.

"I'll try to explain it in a way you can understand. The Shoshones are divided into three nations. There are Northern Shoshones, Western Shoshones, and Eastern Shoshones. I belong to the Eastern Shoshone people. We were called sheep eaters and snake Indians. Other tribes have known us for our legends of the little people."

_"Little people?"_ Aaron asked curiously.

"Yeah, little people. They stand two feet tall and live somewhere deep within the Rocky Mountains. No one has ever seen them after the white man came into our lands long ago. Honestly, I don't know much about the stories of the Little People. I just been told that they took part in our ceremonies and rituals."

_"Do you have Shoshone friends at home?"_

"Just one. I don't know if having a cousin as friend would count, but we're more like sisters than friends."

_"What is her name?"_

"Alexandria, but everyone calls her Dria. We're a year apart, I'm the older one."

_"How old is Dria?"_

"She's nineteen."

_"Does that mean you're twenty?"_

"Yup." She replied abruptly and finished the last pieces of her tuna sandwich. "Why don't you tell me more about your people? Do the Poleepkwa have different cultures or religions?"

_"I only know that many Poleepkwa come from different lands of our home planet. Some come from the grasslands, the coastline, the mountains, the forest lands. And some come from the desert. But the Poleepkwan elders never talk about any religions, only that we were all connected in a Utopian society."_

"Really? That's interesting. So do these different lands, let's say the grassland Poleepkwans, do they have different customs from the mountain Poleepkwa? Or would you know about that?"

_"I don't know. My brother might know."_

Sequoya stuffed several peanuts in her mouth before Aaron asked, _"What lands do the Shoshones come from?"_

"Well," she said still chewing on the peanuts, "The Shoshone tribe moved with the changing seasons, so …" she paused to swallow, "I really don't know. It could be anywhere in the North American continent. I don't know which land we came from. Nowadays, there are no full-blooded Shoshones; we have mixed blood of other tribes and other races. We natives are often mistaken to be these other brown skinned races like the Hispanics and Asians."

Aaron ate the rest of his apple and listened contently. He had no idea what she was talking about. Hispanics? Asians? What were they he wondered? He knew that the human race came in different colors, but to have even more differences within the same colored group of humans was beginning to confuse him.

"I have other tribes in my background that I know little about. My mother is Eastern Shoshone, Crow, and Southern Cheyenne. My father is Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, and Sioux. Is it the same with you? Do you come from different backgrounds of Poleepkwa?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders and answered, _"Maybe."_

Sequoya stuffed more peanuts in her mouth and chewed on them vigorously. "We are orphans, but we have family to take care of us." She said. "I've got my aunt and uncle, and you've got your big brother."

_"But you are old enough to take care of yourself now. I'm still a youngling."_

"Yeah! You're right."

Aaron placed his arms around her slender waist and hugged her. Sequoya gently wrapped her arms around Aaron's small form and returned the affectionate hug.

_"Thank you!"_ he said.

"For what?" she asked.

_"For being my friend. You tell me that I'm right, even if I might be wrong. David always tells me I'm wrong and that he is always right. He never gives me a chance to talk sometimes and he expects me to not interrupt him when he's talking, but he always interrupts me when I'm talking."_

"Your brother sounds like a jerk."

Aaron laughed in a series of clicks, _"Yes he is."_ No one had called David a jerk before, not even his own friends. If only it could be said to his face without any physical altercation.

"He is always angry after work. His boss treats him badly and pays him little money. I tell him to get a better job, but he yelled at me. I am afraid of him when he is angry. He tells me to stay out of his way, but sometimes I don't know when I'm in the way. I feel like I'm in his way all the time. He makes me feel like everything is my fault."

"How can everything be your fault when he is the one who shouldn't be taking his anger out on you? I don't think it's fair to you. David needs to reason with his boss, change his attitude, or get another job! Just because people treat him bad it doesn't mean he can treat others bad."

Aaron nodded his head in agreement and pressed himself closer to Sequoya. He never thought that a human can be so caring and understanding. Sequoya held him close, caressing his back. She had hoped to meet David before, but now the idea of meeting an unstable, angry Poleepkwa seems highly unlikely.

They stayed at the park a while longer talking. Aaron talked about Christopher and Oliver, and how they became good friends. Aaron's father had been good friends with Christopher. He also talked about the stories of his home planet and how he wished to see it one day. Sequoya talked about the foods she ate back at home and wanted to introduce Aaron to her Grandma's famous frybread, the best bread Native Americans ever invented. She also talked about her older cousin named Aaron and told him that her cousin wasn't as charming as he was. Her compliment flattered and embarrassed him at the same time. He had never been complimented by a human. He often would get rude remarks and insults from the Nigerians and the MNU, but never a compliment.

After they talked for hours, they decided to leave the park when they noticed it was almost sundown. Aaron hadn't forgotten about his curfew and let Sequoya know that he had to be home before sunset.

"Why the early curfew?" she asked once they left the park.

_"The Poleepkwan gang members come out. David told me that they mingle with the Nigerians and are very dangerous. They come out when it gets very dark, but David told me that it is safer to come home early to avoid them."_

"Well, at least he cares for your safety."

They walked through the streets and alley ways back toward District 9. By the time they got to the barbed wire fence, the sun had already settled into the horizon. Aaron didn't worry too much about it, since it was a shorter distance from here to Christopher's place.

"What time do you get out of school?" she asked.

_"Sometime in the afternoon."_ He answered.

"Okay, I 'm guessing that would be around three o'clock. I'll be here waiting for you."

_"Okay!"_ he replied cheerfully and walked through the open gaps of the fence. He turned to look back at Sequoya who waved at him. He waved back at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She called out as she walked away.

Aaron continued onwards through the heaps of junk piles.

Somewhere within the outskirts of District 9. A Poleepkwa watches them part ways from the borderline that kept his people separate from the human race. He had been watching them the entire time in the park. He thought he'd recognized the youngling, but couldn't remember his name. As for the woman, he saw her as a potential prey. After all, he was part of the Poleepkwan gang where they were known to kidnap young women who are violated and murdered.


	6. Unveiling Secret

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own District 9, but I can imagine it!**

* * *

The early morning sun beams its warm filled rays across the city of Johannesburg and the lands of District 9. It was a beautiful morning, considering that it was Sunday and most Poleepkwa slept in a little longer than usual. No work and no school. The younglings get to spend the whole day playing with their friends, or just simply spending more time with their family.

It has been a week since David last saw his younger brother. He missed Aaron so much that every morning of the past week he would wake up and be reminded of his absence feeling utterly alone. Having to care for the youngling was difficult for him, only because he had no choice. He wondered how Christopher was able to manage Oliver on his own, with no help of a mate.

Working double shifts for a whole week was brutal for him. His whole body ached with exhaustion, but he managed to get through without any serious injuries. The exhaustion was also due to the lack of sleep. The nights are always hauntingly cold and restless.

David looked around the interior of the shack. What a shithole they called home. He wished that the MNU weren't such assholes to keep the Poleepkwa from having a better life. Even the smallest offers that were promised to them were never given. If he could, he would kill them all for murdering his parents. They were innocent and had nothing to do with starting the riot. Many Poleepkwa were shot down in cold blood by the MNU soldiers. They thought it was necessary in order to stop the riot between the humans and the Poleepkwa.

After David had cleaned the shack, he walked over to Christopher's place. He arrived to find that they were already awake, of course. The younglings were taking their hot bath while Christopher prepared cooked juicy steaks.

"_Join us for breakfast!" _Christopher offered to David when he saw the red Poleepkwa approach the shack through the open doorway.

"_David!" _Aaron squealed happily and nearly jumped out of the small tub. David caught him before he could fall into the dirt floor. Aaron wrapped his dripping wet arms around David's neck, clinging to him tightly.

"_I missed you brother." _Aaron said to him. It was heartwarming for David to hear those words.

"_I missed you too, Aaron." _David replied and held Aaron close to him. Then he set him gently into the small tub. Aaron and Oliver resumed to their playing.

David walked over to Christopher and asked, _"How was he with you?"_

"_Aaron is a good kid. He gave me no trouble and he is doing very well in school." _Christopher answered.

"_That is good to know. Is there anything else I should know?"_

"_Aaron has made a new friend. An older Poleepkwa I believe."_

An older Poleepkwa? David thought. He grew a little paranoid knowing that some Poleepkwan gang members were known to persuade younglings as young as Aaron to join their gang. Many young, naïve Poleepkwan gang members think they can go around at night, wielding their weapons like they own the place and mingling with the Nigerians like they are their friends. They claim that they're making District 9 a better place for their fellow brethren when really they only make matters worse between the Poleepkwa and the humans.

"_This Poleepkwa wouldn't happen to be part of the Poleepkwan gang would he?" _David asked.

"_I don't believe so. You should ask Aaron. Maybe he will tell you more about his new friend."_

"_I will ask him about it when we leave."_

David pulled out a roll of cash and handed it to Christopher. He gave David a questioning look and eyed the cash.

"_This is to help you with Aaron." _David said, _"It must be hard for you to care for two younglings on your own." _

Christopher slowly shook his head and gave the roll of cash back to David. _"There is no need for you to give me extra money for Aaron. I can manage fine with two younglings. Save your money in case you need it in the near future."_

David wanted to protest, but merely took back the cash without saying another word. He had learned not to argue with Christopher, since he is one of the last surviving leaders of all Poleepkwan elders. Christopher was always there to help him when he needed it, and he was grateful for that.

When the younglings were done taking their hot bath, Christopher had finished cooking their steaks for breakfast. They gathered and ate around the old, creaky bench. The younglings chattered excitedly about school. They only had another week of school left until their month in a half break. It was always during that time when David would often worry about Aaron. Sure he left him with Oliver, but the thought of having two younglings left alone at home bothered him the most.

David remembered as a youngling when his parents would leave him in the shack with his best friend Seth. During that time he lived near the Nigerian compound where they often heard shouting, cheering, gun fire, and sometimes screaming. David and Seth used to wander out away from the noise and play for endless hours near the rubble. One day they decided to sneak into the Nigerian compound just out of curiosity. What David had witnessed still haunts him to this day.

Aaron brought him out of his thoughts by tapping his arm, trying to get his attention.

"_David. Did you hear what I said?"_

David gazed down at Aaron. Their jade green eyes connecting._ "No. What did you say?" _

"_I asked you when we are leaving."_

"_Soon! Are you done eating?"_

David watched Aaron stuff the last piece of steak in his mouth. After he got done, he looked up at David and smiled with his little mandibles dripping with grease and saliva. The look on Aaron's face reminded David of their father, the same joyful look his father used to give to him when he got home from work. Aaron had more of his father's features which made it hard for David to even look at him. Aaron seemed so happy for some reason. He wasn't usually this happy when school was almost over. David knew how much Aaron loved school. He wondered if it had anything to do with his new friend, whoever he was.

"_Go get a rag and wipe your face." _David said.

Aaron obediently went to go get a wet rag while David waited. When Aaron finished, he chewed on the rag. Oliver reached out and took the rag from Aaron.

"_Wait for me, Aaron!" _he said and wiped his face off. After he was done, Aaron snatched the rag from him and chewed on it. Oliver grabbed a hold of the rag and tried to pull it away from Aaron. Christopher and David watched the younglings play tug of war with the wet rag. They didn't feel the need to interfere since they weren't fighting.

"_What do you plan to do today?" _Christopher asked David.

"_Anything that has nothing to do with lifting." _David replied caressing his sore arms.

"_Have you thought about getting another job?"_

David peered at the ground, narrowing his eyes. _"You are not the first to ask that question."_

"_I only ask because I'm concerned for you."_

"_You should not be concerned for me. I'm fine."_

"_You don't look fine."_

David turned his head to look at Christopher. _"I'm trying to do my best for Aaron to have a better life."_

"_Maybe you are trying a little too hard." _Christopher said placing his hand on his shoulder._ "You should rest."_

They watched Aaron chase Oliver outside through the open doorway. Oliver had the rag and held it high triumphantly. Aaron tempted to tackle him down and jumped on his back. Amazingly, Oliver kept running and held the rag close to his chest when Aaron tried to swipe it over his head. Oliver ran in circles, trying to make Aaron dizzy. It worked, although he became dizzy as well and collapsed on his stomach with Aaron still holding onto his back.

David walked over and picked them off the ground. Oliver brushed off the gravel with the damp rag, not caring that it was covered in Aaron's saliva.

"_Are we leaving now?" _Aaron asked, gazing up at David.

"_Yes. Unless you want to stay a little longer and play."_

"_No. I had enough of Oliver for a week!" _Aaron said sarcastically, giving Oliver a playful shove. Oliver stumbled backwards and rolled, pretending to be shoved forcefully.

"_I'll get my revenge when you come back!" _Oliver sneered at Aaron and ran inside. David watched him stop at the doorway and wave goodbye to them. They waved back and began walking back to their shack.

As they walked back home, David was about ask Aaron something when he heard Oliver shout out, _"Wait!" _

They both stopped and turned to face Oliver.

"_What is it?" _David asked.

"_Aaron forgot ……something!" _

"_What did you forget?" _he asked peering curiously at Aaron. He noticed Aaron fidgeting nervously and he quickly replied, _"I'll be right back!"_

David watched the younglings in a distance chatter amongst themselves in a low tone as if their discussion was about something secretive. He wanted to get closer, to hear what they were talking about, but he couldn't. Every so often, they were looking back at him as if to make sure he stayed where he stood. The fact that they were hiding something from him made him wonder if they were also hiding it from Christopher. He was becoming angry and impatient without knowing why. Their secret could be something petty, not worth getting angry over. It was normal for younglings to share secrets among their friends.

The younglings dispersed after they ended their conversation. Oliver went walked back home and Aaron trotted back to David. He gazed up at him as if expecting to be questioned about what they discussed. David only glared at him and continued walking. That was his way of showing Aaron that he needed to cool down first. Aaron followed, but kept his distance from David. They were silent for the rest of the way back home.

David managed to calm down after the bitter silence. He stopped in front of the shack and waited for Aaron to catch up. He knew that Aaron had learned to keep his distance when his temper would flare up. Aaron approached cautiously and stood beside him, giving him the cute expression equivalent to the look of a sad begging puppy.

David hated it when he gave him that look. It always made him feel bad.

"_Don't give me that look." _He said in a somewhat demanding tone.

"_Are you still mad?" _Aaron asked, sounding a little pitiful, making David feel even worse.

"_No. I'm not mad anymore."_

"_Did you miss me?"_

"_Of course I did. Did you not hear me say I missed you too?"_

"_I did. I just wanted to hear it again."_

David opened the door, letting Aaron go in first. After closing the door, he saw that Aaron took notice of the once cluttered shithole has now become a clean, organized shithole.

"_Where are your tools?" _Aaron asked. He usually used his tools as toys to play with.

"_I put them away in that tool box, over there." _David said pointing to the tool box hidden under the rubble of kitchen utensils. Aaron went over to the tool box and carefully took everything off, placing them aside.

"_Christopher tells me you have a new friend." _David said as he sat down by the table.

"_Yes," _was Aaron's simple reply as he opened the tool box and going through each tool.

"_He also tells me that he is an older friend." _He said, hoping that Aaron will tell him more.

"_She!" _Aaron abruptly replied.

"_What?" _David asked, a little confused about his quick reply. He wasn't sure if he heard that right. She? Poleepkwa were only referred to as males unless they take the maternal role of having their eggs fertilized, regardless of what gender the names they were issued.

"_She!" _Aaron repeated.

David was sure he heard that correct and asked, _"What is her name?"_

Aaron paused and turned to meet David's gaze. _"Sequoya!"_ he replied and quickly grabbed the selected tools from the tool box and closed it.

"_Sequoya?" _David murmured to himself. _"MNU can surely come up with the strangest names to give a Poleepkwa."_

He didn't notice Aaron's nervous reaction to his last statement.

"_Tell me more about Sequoya."_

Aaron set the tools in front of him, facing toward David, and sat down on the ground.

"_She is very kind."_

"_And?"_

David waited for him to say more, but Aaron toyed with the tools without saying another word, making him grew a little suspicious.

"_She better not be a Poleepkwan gang member."_

Aaron's head shot up in distraught that David would make such an accusation. _"No!" _he answered,_ "She is not a Poleepkwan gang member! She would never join a bunch of misfits."_

"_Good!" _David abruptly replied, _"But why won't you tell me more about her?"_

"_It's complicated."_

"_How is it complicated?" _he asked, this time more concerned.

"_You would not understand."_

"_Why? Do you think I don't care?"_

Aaron sighed and shook his head no.

"_Then what?" _he snapped, _"I hate it when you don't tell me everything."_

"_You mean when I don't tell you what you want to hear!" _Aaron snapped, but quickly cowered back when David shot up from his seat.

"_That is not what I mean!"_

"_What __do__ you mean?"_

"_I know you are hiding something from me. There is something about your friend that you don't want to tell me. Why is that, Aaron?"_

"_Don't get mad, David." _Aaron pleaded and cowered further back.

David stepped back, trying to calm himself down and stormed off into the next room. The smaller room where they slept in. He sat on the rugged, stained mattress, still steaming about Aaron keeping secrets from him. He wondered what the big deal was. If it had anything to do with this Poleepkwa working for the MNU, it wouldn't matter to him. A Poleepkwa would take any job to support their family, even if it was with the people they hate most.

* * *

Aaron stayed where he was and picked up the tools in front of him. He had done his best not to give out too much information about Sequoya. Not knowing how to explain it to him without him getting angry about it was the hardest part. He didn't like keeping secrets from David because he was too perceptive. He knew that eventually he would find out, but he didn't want him to. At least, not right now.

He placed the tools back in the tool box when he didn't feel like playing with them anymore. He wanted to go outside and get away from the shack for awhile. He was about to walk out the door when David called for him. Reluctantly, he turned back and walked into the next room.

"_What?" _he asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"_I want to know something about your friend." _

"_Okay."_

"_What makes her so kind?"_

"_She makes me feel happy and safe. Like we are equal."_

"_Equal? As in a grown up."_

Aaron nodded his head, even though he meant that Sequoya had not treated him any different for being a Poleepkwa. He replied, _"Yes. Something like that."_

"_How many younglings does she have?"_

"_She has no younglings."_

"_Oh!" _David looked at the ground as if in deep thought. Aaron went over to sit beside him and peered up at him. Something was on David's mind.

"_What are you thinking about?" _Aaron asked curiously.

David turned to meet his gaze. Their jade green eyes looking at each other.

"_I was just thinking about what might have happened to her younglings. If they were taken from her, or slaughtered for being unregistered."_

David's sudden empathy for his friend was beginning to confuse him. He had never seen the look of pity in his eyes the way he spoke about the younglings she's never had.

"_David? She does not have any …..younglings. At least, not that I know of."_

"_Does she have a mate?"_

Aaron raised a brow at him, not knowing where this conversation was going.

"_Why?" _he asked.

"_Just curious."_

"_I don't think she has one. I think I would have met him by now if she did. Why do you want to know __that__?"_

"_I'm just curious."_

Aaron looked away from him, unconvinced that he was just 'curious'.

"_What does she look like?" _David asked.

Aaron turned his head to look up at him. He really didn't know what to say, or how to describe Sequoya without giving away conspicuous human features. He made a quick reply when he noticed David's impatience.

"_She is brown."_

"_You need to be more specific than that."_

"_Okay." _Aaron looked away, hoping that David wouldn't notice his nervousness. He thought up of a better way to describe her without giving away her true form._ "She is brownish tan with long black ………antennas. And she has brown eyes. Almost like Christopher's eyes, but darker."_

Aaron noticed David's antennas twitching when he described her non human features. The twitching of the antennas is a sign of danger or excitement to the Poleepkwa. Aaron had explained this before to Sequoya when she asked why his antennas moved erratically. He could guess that David had been excited to hear about Sequoya's fake Poleepkwa features. He wanted to burst out laughing at him, but remained quiet.

"_I'd like to meet her. You should introduce us sometime soon."_

"_I would like to, but ….. Can you promise me something first?"_

"_Yes. What is it?"_

"_Will you promise not to get mad?"_

He saw that David had a questioning look on his face.

"_Why would I get mad?"_

"_I will promise to show you the answer when you meet her, only if you promise not to get mad."_

David gave him a long, hard stare before answering, _"I can't promise you something I can't control, but if it makes you happy I will do my best not to get mad."_

"_Okay!" _Aaron said and got off the mattress. He turned back to look at David and asked, _"Can we go to the park today?"_

"_Later after I get my rest."_

Aaron nodded his head in agreement and left David to rest up before they set out to the park for the day. He hoped that David would stay true to his word. No matter how excited he was going to be to meet Sequoya, Aaron knew that excitement can turn to rage in an instant. He began to wonder if it was a mistake to make an arrangement for them to meet.

Only in time, will he find out.

* * *

_I had a little trouble with the conversations, but I manage to finish the chapter as best I can. What do you think about this chapter? _


	7. Unexpected Visit

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own District 9!**

* * *

Sequoya stood by the window on a Sunday morning, peering out into the empty street and into the shadows of the alley ways. Before, it seemed odd for this street to appear so vacant when all the other streets were crowded with people, but after Sequoya asked around she found out that locals feared the Nigerians and the Poleepkwan gang members that loiter near the area. They warned her not to venture off by herself on the street. She didn't think it was a problem for her, since she's been walking off on her own to meet up with Aaron and she has not encountered any gang members.

She began thinking about her family, if they missed her at all. It was no different for her to be gone during the summer. Her cousins have dubbed her "the nomad" for her wandering off into the hills for her leisure time, and also for her occasional departures from the reservation to go to summer camps.

She sat down on the bed picked up the phone, deciding to give her family a call. She dialed the appropriate numbers to make a long distance call to her family's house and waited. She heard a familiar voice on the other line answer, **"Hello?"**

It was Dria. Just the person she wanted to talk to.

"Hey, cuz! It's me, Sequoya." She said joyfully.

"**Hey bitch. Why did you wait so long to call?"** Dria teasingly replied.

"You should be glad that I called at all."

"**Yeah! Well, you should have called sooner. I was getting lonely for you. Very lonely."**

Sequoya chuckled, "Yeah! Me too."

"**What've you been up to?"**

"I made a new friend." She said and heard Dria gasp on the other end.

"**Are you snagging him?"** she teased.

"What? No! He's a child." Sequoya replied. "His name is Aaron."

"**Aaron? He's not like our dumb ass cousin Aaron, is he?"**

"Not at all. He's an angel. A sweet little thing."

"**There you go making friends without me. I wished you should've never left."**

"You should've come with me."

"**Oh and get eaten by the aliens. No way!"**

Sequoya laughed and chuckled, "Why would they want to eat you?"

"**Yeah! Good question. They probably prefer the taste of dark meat, or some of that white meat. We would be considered junk food to them."**

Sequoya couldn't help but laugh at her ridiculous remark. She heard Dria chuckling along with her.

"**So, how old is Aaron?"**

"I don't really know. He's very small like a five year old, but he seems more mature than that. It's kind of hard to tell."

"**I think it's funny that you would befriend a little kid. I mean, what's wrong with hanging out with the people your own age?"**

"Hey, I didn't expect to meet Aaron. I just happened to be at District 9, watching the alien activity when Aaron showed up. I didn't see him at first because he blended in so well with the ground. I hadn't expected him to come so close to me because I was told that aliens were …"

"**Wait a minute …" **Dria interrupted, **"Aaron's an alien?"**

"Yeah! He is, actually I was just about to tell you that."

"**That's so cool! I didn't think you'd make any alien friends there. Well, I'm sure you'd make better friends with aliens since you're so interested in them. I'm probably sure that the people there would be too, I don't know, snotty. Especially when you're not white."**

Sequoya sighed, "I didn't expect to see as much _tayvoh _here than we do back home." (Shoshone word for "white man")

"**Yeah! But we Shoshones still live in the white man's world."**

"We're not the only ones that do."

"**Yeah, well we get the least respect out of all the other races. White or not!"**

"Is that what you believe? Because I don't believe that. I refuse to believe it. Just because the harsh reality reveals to us that we are degenerate, doesn't mean we have to be. Don't be Indian mad about it!" she said jokingly, dragging out the last words. The term 'Indian mad' are often used among some Native Americans, referring to when natives get mad and hold a grudge for a long time. It's usually the resentment that the younger generations of Native Americans feel toward the white man when they learn the history of their slaughtered ancestors.

"**Did anyone ask if you were Asian?"**

"No. Why?"

"**I bet you someone will."**

"Hey, you never know. Somebody here might know something about us natives."

"**A slanted eyed, brown skinned girl like you can only pass for an Asian girl, or maybe even a Mexican girl. Not to mention, the long hair. Anybody can have long hair, even Asians and Mexicans."**

"Do you base your point just by using those two races? Remember that time we went to New York to visit uncle Tom, and we went to Allegheny Park and those people there thought we were Filipinos. Or that time we went to Niagara Falls those people there thought we were from the Middle East."

"**Yeah I remember. They also thought we were Indians from India."**

"Our race is so small in America that some people have no idea we even exist. They always assume we belong to those other nations."

"**So, what'd you think the people in South Africa will think you are? Has anyone asked you?"**

"I don't think they care, since they worry so much about the aliens in District 9. It's kind of nice that they don't treat me any different. I guess as long as I'm human, they don't seem to care what color my skin is."

"**That's cool. I wish white people here could be more like that."**

"There are, stupid! You just gotta get out more often and meet some."

Sequoya heard someone knocking on the door."Hold on Dria, someone's at the door."

She set the phone down by the bed and went to answer the door. She opened it to find a dark skinned man standing there. She recognized him as the hotel clerk at the front desk.

"You have a visitor!" he said with an African accent.

"Who?" she asked while looking both ways, wondering why her visitor was not with him and wondering if it might be Aaron. She remembered showing him where she stayed.

"Some prawn!" he replied with a scowl.

Sequoya furrowed her eyebrows in a questioning look and asked, "Well, why didn't you bring him in here?"

"He's not allowed in this hotel." He said and added in a lower voice, "Not anymore!"

"Can you make an exception?" she asked, hoping that he would consider it.

He shook his head no. "He's waiting for you outside." He said while walking back to his front desk.

Sequoya snapped her eyes at him and closed the door, thinking about how unkind the people were with the Poleepkwa, especially the younglings who were the more innocent ones. She picked up the phone.

"Dria, are you still there?" she asked.

"**Yeah! You just kinda left me hangin' there."**

"Sorry but I think Aaron's here. The damn hotel clerk won't let him in the hotel."

"**Why don't you just let him in through the window without them knowing? That way you won't have to deal with them and they won't know."**

"Uh, how 'bout no! I'm on the second floor and I'm not gonna make Aaron climb up to my window without him falling and getting hurt."

"**Well that sucks!"**

"I gotta go. He's waiting for me outside."

"**Are you gonna call back?"**

"Yes, of course. I'll talk to you later."

"**Please, call back!"**

"I will."

"**Okay, …bye!"**

"Bye!" Sequoya hung up the phone and walked out of the room. She walked down at the end of the hallway and down the stairwell to the first floor. She made her way passed the front desk and peered out the glass doorways, hoping to see Aaron standing there waiting for her. She didn't see anybody outside. She turned to the hotel clerk who was sitting behind the desk, reading a newspaper.

"I thought you said I had a visitor." She said.

"You do! He's out there somewhere, waiting!" he replied abruptly without taking his eyes off the newspaper.

She turned and walked out the glass doors while glaring back at the hotel clerk. She stepped outside, expecting to be greeted by Aaron, but instead she saw a large Poleepkwa standing near the front entrance of the hotel. She glanced around the street before gazing back at him, wondering if he was the visitor.

The Poleepkwa's blue eyes scanned up and down her body. Taking in every detail of her. She wore a turquoise tank top with blue jeans and wore brown sandals on her feet. He peered at the long pieces of her black hair that hung over her shoulders and her bangs that covered her forehead, making her look like a young girl.

She saw the markings all over his pale, gray surface. The black and red markings of what appeared to be the Poleepkwan language. He was no Poleepkwa she had ever seen before.

"Um, ….hi there." She said nervously. She was always nervous and shy when it comes to meeting new people, and her reaction was no different with meeting this alien.

He tilted his head, his antennas slightly twitching and approached closer to her. She took a step back, intimidated by his size. She had never been up close to a full grown Poleepkwa before. She only stood about 5'5" and he was nearly two feet taller than her.

"_I've been watching you." _he said as he circled around her, absorbing her human scent with his sensors. _"And I find you to be interesting."_

"Interesting?" she said in a puzzled state. "What interests you about me?"

The gray Poleepkwa reached out his hand, making her flinch slightly, and he took a few strands of her hair.

"_You are different." _He said, running his fingers down the long lengths of her hair. _"I have never seen a human like you before."_

Sequoya couldn't help but stare at the markings on his body. The markings intrigued her and at the same time she felt a little uncomfortable with his sudden physical contact. She was used to having people come up to her, wanting to feel her hair. She never had a problem with it, and this was the first time a Poleepkwa felt her hair.

"_You are not from here. Where do you come from?" _he asked, drawing his hand away.

"I come from North America." she replied shyly, pulling back the strands of hair that he grabbed out of her way.

"_North America? Which land is that?" _he asked.

"It's on the northern hemisphere of the planet." she explained, not too sure if he was educated on anything about the planet. "If I had a map of the world, I'll show you."

"_Do you come from the free country?" _he asked.

Sequoya widened her eyes, astonished that he would know about the US. "Yes." she replied.

"_What brings you here to this dreadful country?"_

"Well, every summer I go to different places, so I'd thought I'd come here. Your people interest me as well."

"_We Poleepkwa interest you?"_

Sequoya glanced at his markings and nodded her head.

"_Do I interest you?" _he asked.

"Yes." she admitted shyly.

He took a step closer to her. She shrank back timidly.

"_Do I frighten you?" _he asked, moving even closer to her. She backed into the building behind her. She felt a little awkward, not knowing what to do or what to say. She froze as he closed in at a foot range. He was way too close for her comfort. She didn't know what he was trying to do.

"_Don't be frightened." _he reassured her. _"I only want to be your friend."_

She gazed up at him curiously, her fear faintly diminishing.

"Is that what you came here for?" she replied.

"_Yes." _he said, giving her a Poleepkwa version of a friendly smile.

Sequoya blinked her eyes, glancing around. Uncertain whether she should trust him or not.

"Why do you wanna be my friend?" she asked.

"_You look like you can use some protection."_

"Protection from who?"

"_Other Poleepkwa, the Nigerians, the MNU. I can provide you safety when you walk to District 9 alone."_

"I've been doing well on my own for a week now."

"_Yes, you have, only because I've been making sure you are safe."_

Sequoya lifted her eyebrow at him, a little unconvinced and confused. "Are you really concerned about my safety?"

"_Yes, of course!"_

"But, why? You don't even know me."

The gray Poleepkwa narrowed his eyes at her and began to step back as if she had offended him somehow.

"_Forget it!" _he rasped, _"I understand if you don't want me as a friend."_

He turned and began walking away, leaving her baffled by his sudden reaction. She began to wonder if her questioning had set him off somehow. Maybe he had wanted her to accept him.

"Wait!" she called out while walking briskly to catch up to him. She wasn't sure if this was such a good idea, but she was feeling bad for pissing him off. Whatever the reason, she wanted to correct it.

When she got close enough, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. Instantly, he stopped and whipped around, startling Sequoya. She quickly moved her hand back and stepped away.

"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I didn't mean to make you angry. It's not that I don't want you as a friend. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to trust you because …..well." She ran her hand through her hair, trying to find the right words to explain. Then she gave up and asked, "Can we start over?"

The gray Poleepkwa slowly tilted his head and studied her without giving her a response.

"Okay!" she murmured and said, "My name is Sequoya."

"_I know." _he replied abruptly.

Her eyes widened in shock, but then she thought that maybe he might have picked it up from Aaron while he was stalking her. She wondered if the Poleepkwa had a heightened sense of hearing.

"So, what's your name?" she asked nervously.

He seemed hesitant to answer, but replied anyway, _"Arus."_

"Arius." she said.

"_No! Arus." _he corrected.

"Oh! Arus." She pronounced his name slowly to embed it in her memory. "Is that your Poleepkwan name?"

"_It is only part of my full name." _he replied.

"That's cool. What is your full name?"

"_You won't be able to pronounce it."_

Sequoya only nodded her head in acknowledgement and gazed down at her feet, suddenly feeling shy again without any reason. She didn't know what else to say to him.

"_Sequoya!" _he said to get her attention. She looked up at him. _"Does this mean that you want to be my friend?" _he asked, looking at her expectantly.

She glanced down at the ground and blinked her eyes while a smile gradually appeared on her brown face. "Sure!" she replied. "I think I could use another alien friend."

She saw the look of satisfaction form on his face as if she had offered him something he desired. He stepped closer to her, this time she didn't back away from him. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she lowered her head shyly, still not used to his physical contact.

"_I'm glad you accepted me." _he said, moving his hand down her arm, caressing it. She was starting to feel a little odd with this Poleepkwa's affectionate touch. She wondered if he had developed some kind of crush on her, but then she still didn't quite understand the emotional differences of a Poleepkwa, or whether they were so different at all.

She carefully placed her hand over his, making him cease his movements, and gently pulled his hand away from her arm.

"How 'bout we keep our hands to ourselves for now." she said, releasing his hand. "Your starting to make this situation awkward for me."

"_Do you not like it?"_

"No, it's not that. I'm just not used to it."

"_You are human. It suppose to be awkward for you."_

She chuckled a little and shied away when he tempted to put his hand on her shoulder again.

"_You are so evasive. Don't be so shy."_

"I can't help being shy. It's the way I am when I meet a new stranger. If we're going to be friends, you have to at least give me some space first."

He backed away a little, hoping that it would ease her awkwardness.

"Thank you." she said softly.

"_Your welcome!" _he grumbled.

"Maybe next time, I'll let you put your hands on me." She watched his eyes lit up and then she realized how wrong that sounded. "Wait …..that didn't sound right."

She saw two other Poleepkwa step out from the shadows of an alley. They approached them in an elusive like manner as if they were on the prowl. They had the same black and red markings on their exoskeleton as Arus.

Sequoya stood behind Arus when they got closer. They began conversing with him in a language she couldn't understand. Perhaps they were speaking in their native tongue, the true Poleepkwan language. The blue Poleepkwa did most of the talking. The other Poleepkwa was smaller than him and the same shade of color as Arus, except he had tawny colored eyes. He, however, had his attention on her while Arus and the blue Poleepkwa talked.

Sequoya kept her eye on the smaller Poleepkwa as he eased his way closer to her. He appeared to be a young Poleepkwa who was still growing into adulthood.

When he came closer to her, he peered at her with curious, tawny eyes. He stood no more than a few inches taller than her. She gave him a friendly smile, hoping that he would return the hospitality. He came a little closer, using his sensors to taste her scent.

"Hi." she nearly whispered.

He jerked back as if her greeting had stung him like a bee. He must have not expected her to say anything to him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

He said it to her, but she couldn't decipher what he had said. She shook her head and he repeated it. She could only catch the end of it with a "sh" sound.

"What's your human name?" she asked.

"_I prefer not to be called by it." _he said.

"Do you have a nickname?"

"_Zaev."_

"What's his name?" she asked gesturing to the blue Poleepkwa.

Zaev said the blue Poleepkwa's full name and then stopped himself when he realized she couldn't understand their language. _"His nickname is Lowep."_

"That's cool. Your names are so unique."

"_What is your name?" _

"Sequoya Blackmoon."

"_You have a unique name too." _Zaev's antennas twitched wildly and added, _"I like it."_

Lowep called Zaev by his full name and he obediently walked over to the blue Poleepkwa. Arus turned to Sequoya and said, _"I will see you some other time. I have other duties to tend to at the district."_

"Okay, well ….I guess I'll see you around." she replied.

She watched the three trot back into the shadows of the narrow, alley across the street from the hotel. She entered through the glass doors and began walking back to her room.

"Hey, wait." the hotel clerk called out before she reached the stairwell.

"What?" she called back.

"Come here."

Sequoya let out a displeased sigh and walked back to the front desk.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"What are you doing mingling with a gang of prawns?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"What's wrong with making new friends?" she said.

"Friends?" he barked, "Did you see the markings on those prawns? They represent a prawn gang. They can't be trusted. They take women like you away from the city and into District 9 where they can do whatever they want with you. You know why? Because humans are not allowed in District 9. The prawns will lure you there and you won't have a chance to escape. They have chosen you as their next prey and they will take you into the district whether you realize it or not."

Sequoya peered out the glass doors across the street, peering into the dark alley way to District 9. She didn't know what to think. She hadn't realize that she was talking to the Poleepkwan gang members, the ones that Aaron had always mentioned to be very dangerous. She grew a little fearful, thinking about what could have happened if she would have let Arus just walk away without confronting him.

"I appreciate the concern." she said to the hotel clerk without taking her eyes off the alley way, "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she replied, walking back to her room.

The hotel clerk watched her walked down the hallway until she disappeared up into the stairwell to the second floor. He had often watched her walked across the street and into the alley way to District 9, not that he wanted to but she reminded him of his daughter who would have been her age if she hadn't been killed by a Poleepkwan gang member.

* * *

_Originally I was going to have Sequoya talk with one Poleepkwan gang member, but then I decided to add a couple more to make it more interesting. How did I do?_


	8. The Vision

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own District 9!  
Edited on 11/15/10**

**

* * *

**

The night sky was crystal clear revealing the glistening stars above. Aaron stood in a middle of a meadow, gazing up at the stars without knowing how he got there in the first place. There was no breeze, no sound, only darkness and silence. He was so mesmerized by the beauty of the night sky. Never did he have the leisure to view this beautiful scenery. Never did he see the night sky as perfect as this.

After the stargazing, he turned his attention to the mysterious meadow around him. The long grass that reached just below his head. The tips of the grass brushing gently below his mandibles. He stroked a few pieces of grass, feeling the smoothness of their thin surface. He breathed in the unfamiliar scents of his new environment. What a mysterious place this was. It was like a mirage of an unseen world. Could this be a dream?

In the darkness, a human being wouldn't be able to see his surroundings without using a light source. A Poleepkwa, however, can sense his surroundings by using his sensors to detect objects and any living thing within their proximity. Like humans, they can't see very well in the dark, but have to rely on other senses that humans don't have.

Aaron began running through the thick meadow, moving swiftly and silently as he enjoyed his freedom from curfew and repression. This place is the perfect playground for him. He felt like he could wander endlessly within this strange environment and explore it. He ran as fast as he could through the tall grass until something stopped him in his tracks. He saw what had appeared to be a woman who was down on her knees with her hands pressed together near her chest. In the way that humans pray to their deity from what he understood. He could faintly make out the familiar features of her face.

"_Sequoya!" _Aaron clicked softly.

She looked up at him and grinned. Even in the darkness, he can clearly see that it was Sequoya. The reflection of the stars sparkled in her eyes hypnotically.

"Aaron," she said softly and held out her hand to him, "Come with me."

Aaron grasped her hand while she stood up and began leading him out of the meadow. He had no idea where she was leading him to, but it didn't matter much to him as long as they were together.

"_Where are we going?" _he asked.

Without giving a response, Sequoya pointed straight ahead. Aaron peered in that direction curiously and could only wonder where that direction would lead them to. They left the grassland behind him and walked on a shallow, glistening river. The coolness of the water made Aaron shiver and he pressed himself closer to Sequoya. She lifted him up and carried him while she walked further upstream. Unfazed by the water's freezing temperature at her feet.

"_Why are we on the river?" _he asked curiously.

"To cover our tracks." she replied.

"_But why? Nobody is following us." _

"I don't want anybody to know our secret hiding place."

"_What secret hiding place?"_

"You'll see."

Aaron could see that the further they walked upstream, the wider and deeper the river had gotten. When the water reached above Sequoya's waist, Aaron climbed up onto her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her head. Sequoya chuckled at him and began to wade up the river as the current grew stronger.

Up ahead, Aaron could now see the mist of a water fall where the water grew even deeper. Sequoya waded close to the side of the river to stay in the shallow area and continued onwards toward the waterfall.

"There …" she said pointing toward the water fall, " …behind the waterfall. That is our secret hiding place."

Aaron gazed at the water fall nervously. _"Are we going through the water fall?"_

"No. We're going around it."

"_How?"_

"Hang on!"

Aaron squealed as he felt the cold water rise up beneath him. Sequoya waded deep into the water and swam closer into the blinding mist. Aaron held onto her firmly until she found a rocky ledge and pulled herself up onto it. Aaron suddenly lost his grip and slipped off. Sequoya grabbed him quickly before he could fall into the water. She pulled him up safely onto the ledge before lifting herself up. She grabbed hold of his hand and led him along the rocky ledge and closer into the mist of the water fall.

The ledge was narrow, but a perfect walkway for Aaron. Sequoya occasionally leaned closer to the rock wall, brushing along the hard surface to prevent from falling. She tightened her grip on his hand to make sure that he doesn't slip once again. Through his hand, he could feel himself drawing the warmth from her soft human hand.

He stayed well away from the edge as the sound of the roaring water fall grew louder. They reached an opening of a hidden cave. The mist slightly cleared their path as they neared the entrance. The pitch blackness of the cave instantly illuminated as a strange indigo light glowed unnaturally within a pond in the middle of the cave, making the cave walls and the ceiling shimmer beautifully like the crystal stars of the night sky.

"_It's beautiful." _Aaron said as he stared in awe.

"This is where I go to escape the world." she said and led him to the pond. "And this is the pond of wonders."

Aaron peered curiously into the pond. He gazed up at Sequoya with questioning eyes.

"_Where does the light come from?" _he asked.

She peered at him with friendly eyes and merely replied, "Love."

Aaron looked up at her and tilted his head, _"Love?"_

"Yes." She lifted him up into her arms and cradled him delicately. "The love of friendship." He closed his eyes and pressed himself closer to her.

"I'm glad to have a friend like you, Aaron." she said in a fading voice.

"_Me too!" _he replied and nuzzled himself into her arms like a child drawing comfort from his mother.

In a distance he heard a Poleepkwa calling out Sequoya's name, followed by a series of unfamiliar clicks. Clicks of the true Poleepkwan language that he did not yet understand. The warmth between him and Sequoya was taken away unexpectedly. He opened his eyes to find Sequoya being whisked away by an unknown, large Poleepkwa.

Aaron tried to run after her, but felt someone grab him from behind. He struggled fiercely to break free as he helplessly watched the Poleepkwa take Sequoya away from him. Oddly, she didn't appear to be fighting back.

"_Let me go!" _Aaron clawed and kicked at whoever was holding him back. He watched the waterfall mysteriously disappear and the river below it turned to ice where he saw the Poleepkwa carelessly held Sequoya onto his side and ran off into the darkness.

Aaron was then released, and he picked up a Poleepkwan scent as he turned to face the unknown perpetrator. He only saw the black silhouette of a faceless Poleepkwa, who seemed to vanish into the darkness of the cave. As soon as he was gone, the indigo light of the pond grew brighter and everything grew silent around him.

"_Sequoya!" _he called out into the opening from the cave. He ran out onto the icy river, searching frantically as he called out Sequoya's name over and over again. He ran into the darkness, only to trip and fall onto the ice. He turned to see what he had tripped on and found that the ice was breaking all around him. He scrambled to his feet and ran toward land, only to find that the land had been consumed by the icy river.

The ice cracked beneath his feet as he desperately tried to run back to the cave, which suddenly seemed so far away.

"Aaron!" he heard Sequoya's voice call out from the darkness. "Run!"

He glanced behind him and saw several dark silhouettes coming toward him fast. He ran from them, whatever they were. Poleepkwa or not, he could only sense danger. Before he could reach the entrance of the cave, he felt something grab his leg and pull him away. He clawed at the ice, trying to get away, but it seemed no use.

The thin ice broke apart underneath him and he was dragged under the ice cold water. He felt strong arms wrap around him so tightly and squeezed him painfully. He writhed ferociously, fighting to break free from the pain that was so intense. In the midst of it all, he thought he heard Oliver's voice calling out to him. It started out as an echo, and then became louder and clearer.

"_Aaron! …..Aaron!"_

Before he knew it, he had awakened to find Oliver looking over him with a concerned look on his face.

"_Are you okay?" _he asked.

Aaron blinked his eyes and looked around, still feeling the aches on his sides from the vivid nightmare that seemed so real. _"I'm okay."_

"_Did you have a nightmare?" _he asked.

Aaron looked away and shrugged his shoulders. _"Why do you ask?"_

"_You were shaking and twitching. You hit me and woke me up."_

"_I did?" _Aaron replied, feeling bad. _"Sorry."_

"_It's okay Aaron." _Oliver said and patted him on the back. _"I forgive you. It was just a bad dream."_

"_Yeah!" _Aaron somewhat agreed, though he still felt a little frightened about the dream. _"Just a bad dream."_

_

* * *

_

After school …

Aaron and Oliver walked back to Christopher's shack by themselves after school. Christopher had to work a little overtime and instructed the younglings to walk straight home without him.

"_I think the elders should teach the other younglings more about the mother ship." _Oliver said. Aaron only nodded his head in agreement without saying anything.

Oliver rambled on about their day at school. Aaron didn't pay too much attention to him, but pretended to listen by nodding his head occasionally replying, _"Yeah!"_

The images of his nightmare haunted him throughout the school day. Even the elders had sensed his discomfort and pulled him aside to question him. The only thing he could tell them that it was just a nightmare and nothing more, although it had felt all too real.

"_Aaron? What are you thinking about?" _Oliver asked, after realizing that he wasn't listening to him.

Aaron looked at him and smiled. _"Sequoya." _he simply replied.

Oliver blinked his eyes and replied, _"You like her."_

"_Of course!" _Aaron said. _"She is my best friend."_

"_I thought I was your best friend." _Oliver replied teasingly.

"_Yeah, but she is different."_

"_She is human! What else could be different?"_

Aaron grinned at him, knowing that Oliver truly understood his friendship with Sequoya. He never showed any jealousy toward Aaron having another friend. A true friend at that.

The younglings arrive at the shack to find the front door wide open. Oliver trilled excitedly and trotted into the shack, sensing another Poleepkwa inside. Obviously, he knew who it was, but Aaron approached the open doorway cautiously and hoped that the Poleepkwa hadn't been snooping around his things.

Aaron stood by the doorway and peeked inside. The Poleepkwa appeared to be friendly, greeting Oliver as soon as he entered the shack. Aaron peered at the Poleepkwa who didn't take notice of him. He thought had seen him before, the yellow Poleepkwa speckled with black and brown spots. The Poleepkwa is one of Christopher's friends helping him with the secret mission. Whatever the secret mission was, it had to do something with the mother ship.

The Poleepkwa had all sorts of junk piled on top of the bench. He sat down as he began sorting through each item. Oliver climbed onto the seating next to him and chattered on about school. The Poleepkwa seemed to be more focused on his assortment, but listened to the youngling.

"_Oliver!" _Aaron interrupted him.

"_Yeah?" _Oliver turned to look at Aaron.

"_I'm going to see my friend, now. I'll see you later." _he said, keeping his gaze on Oliver as the Poleepkwa stopped what he was doing and looked at him.

"_Okay! See you later." _Oliver said and continued his chattering.

Aaron turned and walked out of the shack before another word could be said.

After he vanished through the open doorway, the Poleepkwa turned to Oliver and waited for him to finish before he asked, _"Who was that?"_

"_His name is Aaron. You remember him, don't you?" _he replied.

"_Aaron? Of course I remember him. The last time I saw him, he was a hatchling."_

"_He doesn't seem to remember you."_

"_Of course, he was only a hatchling."_

_

* * *

_

Aaron trotted along the path between the rubble. Three younglings were chasing each other within the junk pile up ahead. Two of them ran by Aaron and the third one bumped into him hard, nearly knocking him down.

"_Move!" _the youngling squawked.

"_You ran into me!" _Aaron snapped.

"_I don't care. Get out of the way!" _

The youngling shoved him, trying to knock him on the ground, but Aaron only stumbled back. The youngling went to go run after his friends, but Aaron quickly kicked one of his legs, making the youngling squeak in pain as he fell forward and landed flat on his face. Aaron stood back as the youngling rolled to his side and covered his face as he began to cry.

Although he was quick to retaliate, he felt bad knowing that he did not intend to hurt him. He went to help the youngling get up, but he felt two large hands grabbed him from behind and jerked him away from the youngling, and he went sprawling on the ground. He looked up at the older Poleepkwa who scolded him for hurting his younger brother. Aaron's eyes grew wide in shock as he saw the red and black markings on his gray surface, clearly indicating that he was a Poleepkwan gang member. Aaron quickly back pedaled away from the Poleepkwa.

"_I'm sorry." _he frantically apologized, _"I didn't mean to hurt him."_

"_Shut up!" _the Poleepkwa squawked and kicked dirt at him. _"Get lost, you little bastard."_

Aaron turned and ran without looking back. He ran until he reached the barbed wire fence, feeling a little relieved that the Poleepkwan gang member didn't pursue him. Poleepkwan gang members show no kindness and no remorse for those they hurt, even if it was a youngling or a human child.

Seeing that Sequoya wasn't there waiting for him on the other side, he decided to wait for her. He glanced back once in a while to make sure that the angry Poleepkwan gang member didn't approach him. He was still there within the rubble, watching his younger brother play with his friends. Aaron thought it was odd for a Poleepkwan gang member to be out in the district in broad daylight. Every once in a while, Aaron would catch the gray Poleepkwa looking at him as if he were watching him too.

Aaron went through the fence quickly as soon as the Poleepkwa turned his head away. He didn't want to be watched and have the Poleepkwa discover his secret meetings with a human. He trotted along the fence line toward the alley way, peeking through the fence to make sure that the Poleepkwa wasn't glancing back at him. Luckily, he was too preoccupied with his supervision.

When he reached the alley way, he decided keep going to the hotel where Sequoya was staying. He glanced around, hoping that there were no MNU officers patrolling the area. It was risky enough to leave the district without adult supervision and permission from the MNU. Of course, he had been out of the district to be with Sequoya for the past week, so sneaking out wasn't giving him much thrill anymore. This time it was his turn to come to her.

As he neared the street, he stopped to look around, still keeping an eye out for the MNU. Before he could cross the street, he heard footsteps approaching behind him. That's when he sensed another Poleepkwa. Aaron ignored him and continued walking, making his way across the street to the hotel. Halfway there, he stopped when he heard the Poleepkwa clicked _"Wait!"_

He turned around, and nearly pissed himself when he saw that this Poleepkwa was a gang member. He looked similar to the one in the district, only that he was much bigger in size.

"_Don't be frightened, little one. I'm not going to hurt you." _he said, seeing that the youngling was startled and apprehensive. _"I have seen you before, but I don't remember your name."_

Aaron wanted to turn around and dart for the hotel, but reluctantly he stayed knowing that it would be impossible to outrun this large Poleepkwa. Every fiber of his being was warning him to stay away from this Poleepkwa.

"_Tell me your name!" _the Poleepkwa demanded, making the youngling shrink back.

"_Aaron." _he replied nervously.

"_Aaron?" _the Poleepkwa muttered. _"What's your real name, Aaron?"_

"_I don't know yet." _he said, inching his way backwards to the hotel.

The Poleepkwa tilted his head, _"You don't know your true name. How sad!"_

He knelt down and grabbed Aaron's arm, pulling the youngling closer when he noticed him slowly backing away.

"_You are here to see your human friend. Right?"_

Aaron picked up his scent. There was something familiar about it. He couldn't grasp in his thoughts of why it was so familiar, and then it hit him.

"_You!" _he narrowed his eyes at the Poleepkwa accusingly, who gave him a puzzled look. _"It was you. At the park. You have been watching us at the park."_

The Poleepkwa narrowed his eyes in a challenging look. _"What are you going to do about it? Aaron." _he said his name in a mocking tone. _"Are you going to tell your human friend? That won't be necessary. She already knows."_

Aaron glanced around fearfully and helplessly. He was in no position to defend himself or Sequoya against this beast. He cringed when the Poleepkwa placed his other hand on his shoulder.

"_I can use a smart youngling like you. You should consider joining us, our brethren, in our fight against the human race." _he offered to the youngling.

Now it was Aaron's turn to give the Poleepkwa the puzzled look. _"If your fight is with the human race, then why do I see the gang with the Nigerians?"_

"_To defeat your enemy, you must become your enemy. Become his friend, and then betray him. I'm sure they don't teach you that in school."_

Aaron glanced at the ground and shrugged. He didn't see the human race being the problem. The real problem was them. The Poleepkwan gang along with their so called friends, the Nigerians, and the MNU being above them all, enforcing too many ridiculous rules and regulations that the Poleepkwa are forced to follow.

"_Think about it, young one. Maybe you can bring along your human friend for us to play with." _he implied with a sadistic tone. With that, he loosened his grip and stepped back, allowing Aaron to slip his hand out of his grip and backed away from him.

"Aaron!" As soon as he heard Sequoya's voice, he turned and ran halfway across the street to her. She stood outside the front doors and watched him dash toward her. When he got close enough he hopped into her embracing arms.

"_I missed you!" _he clicked softly to her ear.

"Awe, I miss you too." she replied. "I see you've met Arus."

"_Arus!" _he snapped and looked back at the Poleepkwa watching them intently from a distance.

"Do you know him?" she lowered her voice inconspicuously.

Aaron looked at her, slightly nodding his head.

Without saying anything else, she turned and went back into the hotel, holding Aaron close to her securely.

"We'll talk inside." She whispered to him.

Aaron peered over Sequoya's shoulder, seeing Arus giving him the cold stare. The Poleepkwan gang member watched them go inside. The very place where he was forbidden to enter. He stormed back into the alley way, kicking a dumpster in the process, leaving a dent. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown envious of the youngling, who had more of Sequoya's attention. If he wanted the same, he would have to change his tactics.

* * *

_Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Aaron's dream was inspired by a dream that I had._

_Oh and I now allow anonymous reviews. _


	9. A Different Route

**Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!**

**Revised: 3/18/13**

* * *

Sequoya walked up the stairwell with Aaron safely tucked in her arms. She was surprised that the hotel clerk hadn't said a word of protest when he saw her walking in through the front entrance with a small alien. She was thankful that he didn't seem to mind and he went about his business shuffling papers on his desk, or whatever he was doing.

When she reached the second floor, she rushed through the hallway to her hotel room, hoping that no one else will see them together, particularly people who hate the Poleepkwa. After entering the room, she sat Aaron on the bed and shut the door behind her. She stood there for a moment as she began thinking about what they were going to do next.

"_You have a nice room." _Aaron said as he looked around.

"Thanks." Sequoya replied, not so enthusiastically and walked towards the opened window. She saw only an empty street with no human or Poleepkwa in sight. Even though, there was no one around, she had a feeling that she was being watched. She quickly closed the window and shut the curtains.

"Aaron, what were you doing outside the hotel?" she asked as she turned around to look at him.

"_I was coming to see you." _He replied.

"Yeah, I figured that, but why didn't you just wait for me?"

"_I couldn't wait for you. I was being watched."_

"You were being watched by Arus?"

"_No. It was another Poleepkwa. His little brother bumped into me. He got mad and pushed me, so I tripped him and made him cry." _Aaron's antennas drooped down and he lowered his head. _"I didn't mean to make him cry. I tried to help him, but his big brother pushed me down and yelled at me. He was another Poleepkwan gang member. That is why I came to the hotel to get away from there."_

By this time, Sequoya had already sat down next to him. She grew a little concerned for the youngling. "Did he hurt you?"

"_No. I'm okay." _He replied.

"Are you sure?"

"_Yes."_

Sequoya wrapped her arms gently around him, embracing him. "Then I'm glad you're okay. You worried me."

"_I did not mean to worry you." _Aaron said as he looked up at her with apologetic eyes.

"It's okay, Aaron. I can't help but worry about you sometimes."

"_It is you I'm worried about." _

Sequoya met his gaze and can see the worried look in his eyes. She was becoming more familiar of his emotions just by looking into his eyes. "What did Arus tell you?" she asked.

"_He said that you knew about him watching us at the park. Is that true?"_

"Yeah, he told me himself. That day, I thought it was you who came to the hotel and asked to see me. It turned out to be Arus. I didn't realize he was a Poleepkwan gang member. He said he only wanted to be my friend and I accepted." Sequoya turned away and began cursing herself for it. Then she turned back to Aaron, who stared at the ground. She knew he had something on his mind.

"Did Arus say anything else to you?" she asked.

"_Yes. He wanted me to join his gang." _Aaron answered without taking his eyes off the ground.

"Did you refuse?" she asked more likely knowing that he did.

"_I did not give him an answer, so he told me to think about it. But I will never join his gang of Prawns."_

Sequoya was taken aback by his use of the word "Prawn". She would have never thought that a Poleepkwa would use such a term to refer to their own kind. Even she would never refer to her own race with a racial slur, but then she began to think about it more and more. Aaron thought so little of the Poleepkwan gang that he did not consider them to be his kind. Of course they weren't, Aaron is a much better person than them.

She began thinking about her cousin Aaron. The true outcast of her family. He was in a gang that called themselves the "Deuce Crew", a relatively small gang not to be taken so seriously. Their graffiti can be seen on traffic signs all over the reservation with the letters "DC" and the Roman numeral "II". She remembered how much he hated white people and refused to live by their ways. He claimed that being in a gang made him feel like a warrior when really he was just a dumb ass juvenile delinquent, a boy without a conscience. Aaron was sent to prison after killing a member of his own gang, also a member of his own tribe. He had disgraced himself. The Deuce Crew had been Aaron's gang of Squaws.

They were silent for awhile. Sequoya wondered how she was going to get Aaron back home safely without running into any gang members along the way. She wondered if she should tell him about the strange dream she had last night.

"Aaron." she nearly whispered. He turned his head and looked at her. "What do you know about the Poleepkwan gang? Beside the fact that they're dangerous."

"_My brother knows more about them than I do, but I know that they are criminals who think they own District 9. The brave Poleepkwa stay out of their way, only the cowards join them for protection."_

"Do you know how many Poleepkwa are in the gang?"

"_Not too many, but I hear that many young Poleepkwa have joined them, and more will join them."_

"Poleepkwa as young as you?"

"_Yes. That is why my brother told me to stay away from them, especially Arus."_

"Why him?"

"_He is one of the leaders of the gang. That is all I know."_

"Now that explains a lot. I knew he had to be some kind of leader. There were two other Poleepkwa that approached him and talked with him. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they treated Arus like the boss. Do you know any other Poleepkwan gang members I should watch out for?"

Aaron looked off to the side as he thought about it for a moment. Then he shrugged at her. _"I say watch out for them all. Any Poleepkwa associating with them are bad news. Any human they associate with are in deep trouble."_

"Then I already screwed myself over."

Sequoya stood up and began pacing the room, thinking about what she should do about Arus. It was hard enough for her to sneak off to District 9, but to avoid someone who had been watching her the whole time would be impossible, unless she can come up with a different solution.

"What am I going to do? Think." she said to herself. "How am I gonna get you back to the district without Arus watching me?"

"_We can find a different path?" _Aaron suggested.

"True, but I haven't been here long enough to explore the different paths we can take. I don't know where to start. It can take all day just to figure out how to sneak out of the hotel without Arus watching. And that's the other problem. I don't know when he's watching. He could have the whole hotel under surveillance of his gang members."

"_If he has then I would be able to sense them."_

"That's great, but we're gonna have to find a different place to meet from now on."

Sequoya partially opened the curtain covering the window and took a peek outside. There were several Poleepkwa gathered near the alley way. They were in a shaded area where she couldn't tell if they were gang members or not. She quickly shut the curtain when one of them looked up toward her as if he sensed her watching them.

"_Sequoya. I wanted to tell you something. I had a strange dream about you last night." _Aaron said as Sequoya turned around to look at him.

"What did you dream about?" she asked, hoping that hearing about Aaron's dream would relieve her stress.

"_We met in a grassland where I found you praying under the stars. You told me to come with you and then we walked away from the grassland. We walked on a river and you said it was to cover our tracks. You took me to a secret hiding place in a cave behind a waterfall."_

Sequoya's eyes widened in astonishment as Aaron continued to unfold the story of his dream. The place he described sounded similar to a place where she used to go to as a child.

She used to live near the Rocky Mountains where she would wander far off into the forest. It was there where she found a river that led to the beautiful waterfall and the hidden cave. She pushed the thought in the back of her mind, thinking that it was just a coincidence.

"_You showed me a glowing pond and said that the light comes from our love of friendship."_

"Okay. That's just weird." she interrupted.

"_What is weird? You did not let me finish."_

"I'm sorry. I'll tell you about it later. Please continue."

"_I don't know if I want to continue. That is when the dream turns to a nightmare."_

Sequoya studied Aaron's fearful expression. "You don't have to tell me if it frightens you so much."

"_But I want you to know. You were taken away by a Poleepkwa. You did not try to escape, you let him take you away. I tried to go after you but another Poleepkwa was holding me back and he had no face. I was so scared." _

She watched Aaron's antennas drooped pitifully and he shrank onto the bed as he relived the nightmare all over again.

"_It felt so real." _he said as tears welled up in his eyes.

Sequoya lifted him up and gave him a hug to comfort him. She knew how it felt as a child to have a nightmare scare the living shit out of you so much that it could make you cry.

"It wasn't real." she spoke softly to him, trying to comfort him with words. "I know it's hard to forget, but try not to think about it."

She could feel his fast paced breathing as she placed her hand gently on his back. He slightly flinched at her touch and his breathing began to slow as he calmed down.

Sequoya sat on the bed and began rocking back and forth. She hummed a song to him that her mother used to sing to her. She didn't remember the words, but she remembered the tune. It was an old Shoshone song that her great grandmother made up to sing to her children.

After she finished the song, she peered at Aaron who had his head resting on her shoulder. She could have sworn he heard him purring like a kitten while she hummed the song. He looked at her with eyes so friendly and innocent. Then she saw the smile appear on his face. She smiled back.

"I made you smile." she said. "How do you feel now?"

"_Safe." _Aaron simply replied.

"Good. I want you to feel safe."

"_But what about the dream? You said there was something weird about it."_

"Oh, yeah. The weirdness. You said that I took you to a secret hiding place with the glowing pond, right? The river, the waterfall, the hidden cave. Did this place look like it was in the mountains?"

"_I don't know. The grassland was so big, but there were many trees beside the river. And the inside of the cave was so mysterious."_

"This glowing light from the pond. Was it blue?"

"_Yes." _Aaron widened his eyes. _"How did you know?"_

"I used to wander off into the mountains back home. I followed the river upstream until I found a waterfall. I found the cave and inside that cave was this small pond. This pond is very deep like an abyss. I found out later that my great grandparents were healers and used the pond water for healing purposes. My grandmother told me that when the moon shines through the waterfall and into the cave, it illuminates everything within it, including the pond. There are hidden crystals in the pond that create the glowing light when the moonlight is reflected from the cave walls."

"_But in my dream, you said that the light came from love, not the moonlight."_

"It doesn't matter what I said in your dream. This place you dreamed about is real. I just need to find out what it means."

"_I thought dreams are meaningless."_

"What makes you think so?"

"_My brother told me."_

"All dreams have a meaning to them whether you know it or not. I think your brother's wrong."

Sequoya sat Aaron down on the bed and turned on the TV in front of them. "Here, you can watch cartoons while I make a long distance call."

Aaron scooted himself closer to the foot of the bed as he watched curiously and attentively at the TV. Sequoya called home, but unfortunately nobody answered, so she left a message on the answering machine, saying that she'll call back later. She pulled out the city map from under the bed and began contemplating which alternative route that they could take to District 9.

Her plan was to go through the back door of the hotel and go around the buildings on the other side of the street that was usually crowded. Then they would have to make their way to District 9 without running into any gangs. It was a simple plan, but Sequoya had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy.

Later that evening before sundown ….

Sequoya and Aaron walked out of the room and to the elevator on the opposite end from the stairwell. Sequoya never used the elevator, fearing that it would somehow malfunction and lock her inside with no way out. It wasn't that she was claustrophobic or anything, she just hated elevators. She had a bad experience once where the electricity went out while she was in an elevator by herself. She felt a little more at ease, knowing that Aaron will be with her.

They walked into the elevator when they saw that it was empty with the doors open. Obviously, someone had used it and now it was waiting for someone else on the second floor to use it.

"_This one is small." _Aaron said, looking into the elevator. _"The MNU have larger ones."_

"They do?" she asked. Aaron nodded his head as they walked into the elevator and made their way to the first floor.

"_I don't understand. Why are we using an elevator instead of walking down the stairs?"_

"The stairwell leads to the front desk where the glass doors are. When I'm coming back from District 9, I can see the stairwell through the glass doors from across the street of the hotel. If those gang members are still out there, they'll see us walking down the steps and spot us leaving. I don't want them to detect us sneaking out the back way."

When the elevator doors open, they walked out into the hallway and toward the end where the back door was. There were two narrow corridors on each side when they reached the end. Sequoya knew that the right corridor led to a utility room and the left led outside into the crowded street. She took the opportunity to talk to the hotel clerk while Aaron watched cartoons for a few hours. He told her about the back door which most of his customers used when leaving the hotel. She learned that his name is Ojaji and has two children living in Kenya. He told her about his oldest daughter who had been kidnapped by the Poleepkwan gang. She was missing for two weeks until she was found dead. She had been beaten and raped repeatedly, then she was strangled to death and thrown in a dumpster. She was only 14 years old.

The Poleepkwan gang were also known to kidnap young men as well, who meet the same fate.

Sequoya grasped Aaron's hand as they exited through the back door and into the street. It wasn't as crowded as it was during the day, but there were still enough people roaming around to still call it a crowd. While Sequoya led the way, Aaron peered around the street. A few people gawked at them while the others paid no attention to them.

They walk twenty blocks from the hotel and turned right down another street toward District 9. Sequoya had hoped that this was far enough. At least she felt much safer being among the crowd of people. She noticed that the further they walked, the more Poleepkwa she saw in the crowd.

Suddenly, she felt Aaron slip his hand out of her grasp and dashed behind her. She turned and looked down at the youngling who seemed so frightened.

"What's wrong?"

"_My brother …..he is standing over there." _Aaron said and pointed out.

Sequoya looked in the direction where he was pointing toward the building. There by the local shop were several Poleepkwa loitering outside the building and socializing.

"Which one is he?"

"_The red one."_

Sequoya peered at the red Poleepkwa, who appeared to be doing most of the talking, unaware that they were watching him.

"What are you afraid of? I thought you told him about us."

"_I only told him your name. He doesn't know you are human."_

Sequoya glanced back at the red Poleepkwa. "I take it he hates humans, right?"

"_Yes. If he finds out I'm here with you. He will punish me."_

"Why don't you just tell him? He has to know some time."

"_Not right now. I want to leave."_

She saw the desperation in Aaron's face and glanced back once more to make sure that they weren't spotted yet.

"Okay, let's go." she said and took Aaron by the hand, and walked into an alley between buildings to get out of sight. Just before they reached the alley way, Sequoya took one last look at the red Poleepkwa and met his gaze. She knew that someday they would have to meet face to face.

* * *

A/N: I revised only the ending of this chapter, nothing major.


	10. Alex and Seth

**Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!**

**Revised: 3/18/13**

* * *

Sequoya and Aaron reached the district gates where several bus loads of Poleepkwa were being transported back into the slums. They stood from a distance as the gates were under the watchful eyes of the MNU constantly patrolling the area. Aaron looked up at Sequoya hesitantly. Sequoya, however, kept her gaze toward the gates. Aaron glanced at the gates nervously, wondering if she was seriously considering taking him through the gates.

"_We should go around them." _he said hoping to dissuade her from taking the risky route. She peered down at him, glancing back at the gates. "Yeah, we should find a spot where they won't see us."

She led him away from the gates. They kept their distance from the fence in case any lingering patrol came through the area. Once they were far enough from the gates, they cautiously approach the fence while attentively observing their surroundings. Although, there seemed to be a few Poleepkwa on the other side of the fence loitering and socializing, they paid no attention to them. Sequoya let go of Aaron's hand as soon as they got close to the fence. She crouched down to give him a brief hug before they part ways.

"_Is this where we will meet again?" _he asked.

"It could be. I was hoping to find a better spot." she replied and stood up. "We will meet here tomorrow, same time."

"_Will you be safe going back?" _

"Of course, I'll be safe. Don't worry about me."

"_What if something happens?"_

"Nothing will happen. Just try not to think about it."

"_What if I can't?" _

Sequoya kneeled closer to him and gave him a comforting smile. "Try." was her only reply and gave him a peck on the head. Aaron winced the moment her lips touched the sensitive part of his head between his antennas.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay," she said.

"_Okay!" _he said and went through the barbed wire fence.

She waved at him as she was walking away. He waved back at her before turning to run back to Christopher's shack.

He got halfway there when a youngling had crossed his path, making him stop. Aaron recognized the youngling. His greenish, brown exoskeleton with golden eyes, he was the one who had bumped into him earlier today.

"_Sorry about running into you." _The youngling said. Aaron snorted at the youngling and walked past him. The youngling followed closely behind him.

"_I'm Alex. What is your name?" _he said.

"_Go away!" _Aaron snapped. He didn't want anything to do with the youngling, not after what his brother did to him.

"_I said I was sorry." _

Aaron kept walking, but the youngling kept following.

"_What do you want with me? Go home!"_ Aaron snapped.

"_I want to say I'm sorry about running into you and I'm sorry about my brother." _Alex replied. He stood in front of Aaron, stopping him once more. _"I'm sorry." _He said one more time.

Aaron peered into Alex's pleading eyes which were seemingly desperate for his forgiveness. _"Apology accepted. Can you please leave me alone?" _he said as Alex's face lit up.

"_Can we be friends?" _Alex asked excitedly.

"_Why do you want to be my friend? I made you cry." _

"_I forgive you."_

Aaron was hesitant about letting this youngling be his friend. For some reason, he had a feeling that there was something suspicious about Alex, other than the fact that his brother was a Poleepkwan gang member. He wanted to tell him no, but he didn't want to hurt his feelings again.

"_I need to get back home." _Aaron said. Making an excuse to get away from Alex. He walked past him once more, knowing that he would just follow closely behind again.

"_So do you?" _Alex asked.

"_What?" _Aaron responded.

"_You know."_

"_Know what?"_

Alex laughed in a series of clicks. _"You're funny!"_

Aaron took it as an insult and retorted, _"No, you're funny."_

Alex continued to laugh. Aaron ignored him and kept walking past the rows of shacks. The smell of raw meat emanating from one of the shacks, making Aaron's mandibles lubricate with saliva.

"_Meat!" _Alex blurted out. _"Can you taste it in the air?"_

"_Yes. It makes me hungry for a steak." _Aaron replied.

"_I like to eat them when they're still bloody." _Alex said.

Aaron turned to Alex and saw that his mandibles were also dripping with saliva. They were both hungry for steaks, although Aaron preferred a cooked steak. They walked in silence for a moment thinking about food. Something that was hard to come by each day, since the Poleepkwa get such low pay.

"_My brother told me that he saw you go through the fence." _Alex said.

"_So what!" _Aaron replied.

"_Don't you know you're not suppose to do that?" _

Aaron didn't respond and kept his gaze straight ahead where he could see Christopher's shack in the distance.

"_Where did you go anyway?" _Alex asked.

"_Some place special." _Aaron replied.

"_What place is that?"_

"_Some place special." _He repeated.

"_You don't want to tell me. Do you?" _

"_Why should I tell you?" _

The younglings grew silent for a moment as they walk past several Poleepkwa walking the other direction.

"_Are you a Poleepkwan gang member?" _Aaron asked.

Alex sighed and lowered his head. _"No." _he replied while he kicked at the dirt in disappointment. Then he turned his gaze back to Aaron. _"But I want to be."_

"_Why?" _Aaron asked curiously.

"_Because I hate MNU."_

Of course, Aaron knew there was something about Alex he didn't like. Obviously, Alex's older brother has a strong influence on him. He wanted to be just like his brother.

They reached Christopher's shack.

"_Is this where you live?" _Alex asked.

"_Yeah, for now." _Aaron replied and made his way to the front door.

"_It was nice talking to you." _Alex said.

"_Yeah, you too." _ Aaron replied coolly.

"_Hey, Aaron!" _Alex called out. Aaron turned and looked at him.

"_I'll see you around." _The golden-eyed youngling said and ran off, leaving Aaron standing there baffled. He didn't remember telling him his name.

That night …

It was passed midnight; David had just finished closing up the store along with the help of his human co-worker. David hated him for the fact that the human complained to their boss that he needed a Poleepkwa to work with him during the late hours. His bastard boss had appointed him, of all the Poleepkwa to chose from, without any consent. He wished he could negotiate with him without costing him his only job.

The red Poleepkwa walked from the street and into the outskirts toward District 9. The land that separated the city from the Poleepkwa territory was about the length of three football fields. By this time, MNU were done patrolling and the gang members usually wander the area. David always walked through the darkest of places.

He passed a group of Poleepkwa gathered around a large trashcan with its contents burning within. He could sense one of them approaching him from behind, but he kept pacing ahead. It wasn't long before the Poleepkwa had caught up to his side. David breathed in his scent and knew exactly who it was.

"_What do you want, Seth?" _he demanded, he wasn't in the mood to be bothered.

"_You know I do not go by that name anymore." _The Poleepkwa replied.

"_I don't give a shit!"_

Seth stood directly into David's path, making him stop. They were eye to eye now. _"David, I'm sorry that things didn't work out between us, but you must understand …."_

"_Understand what? That by joining a gang you became just as degenerate and arrogant as those Nigerian bastards. You disappoint me!" _David snapped.

"_That is not true! They killed my brother!"_

"_But he killed an MNU worker."_

" _I joined the gang to get back at the human race, for what they did to me. To us. Remember what they did to your parents."_

David looked away, trying not to remember the painful memory of witnessing his parents being gunned down by the MNU during a riot that they weren't involved in. _"I don't want to remember!" _

"_I know how you feel." _Seth placed his hand on David's arm. David responded by striking at Seth, who quickly moved out of the way to avoid the blow to the head.

"_No! You don't know what it's like to have to raise your own brother. Alone!"_

Seth took a couple steps back as David appeared to be preparing to throw another blow, but he held back. _"You backed out on me when I needed you the most."_

"_What was I suppose to do? Stand by and let the humans get away with murder. They will all pay for what they have done to us."_

"_Two wrongs don't make a right!"_

"_What?"_

David sighed in frustration and began walking away from Seth. _"You should have stayed in school."_

"_David!" _Seth called out to him, but David ignored him. _"David, wait! There something I think you should know about the MNU."_

"_Not interested." _David had enough of hearing the rumor that was going around District 9 about the MNU experimenting on Poleepkwan prisoners.

"_But Aaron is in danger!"_

David stopped as soon as he heard him say his brother's name. There was no possible way that Aaron could be in danger. He's with Christopher. David turned to face Seth as he approached closer. _"What makes you think he is in danger?" _he asked sternly.

"_The MNU are clever and relentless as you know. There are undercover MNU workers taking younglings out of District 9 and into their underground complex. They are experimenting on them, some as young as hatchlings."_

"_Aaron knows better than to stray too close to any humans. I assure you he is safe."_

"_How do you know he is safe?"_

"_I just know. Now get out of my way!" _David pushed Seth aside and walked past him.

"_But your brother …" _Seth continued, but was cut off by David.

"_I don't have to listen to what you have to say anymore."_

"_Perhaps you should listen. I have seen Aaron wandering outside District 9 with a human."_

David tried to ignore him and kept walking, but Seth followed. _"I know you don't believe me, but it is true. Just ask Christopher where he goes after school."_

"_You lie!" _David spat out in anger. _"Aaron would never betray me like that."_

"_Maybe you don't know Aaron as much as you think you do."_

"_Oh, and you do!" _ David quickly turned with his three-clawed hand ready to tear into Seth. The Poleepkwan gang member immediately went into his defensive stance. _"That is not what I meant. What I meant to say is that Aaron is keeping something secret from you."_

"_I already know that, but they are not the reasons that you think."_

"_Did he mention someone to you that he refused to talk about?"_

David didn't respond, but merely shifted his gaze toward the ground. Then Seth continued, "_He did mention it to you, didn't he! Then you would know who I am talking about."_

David turned away from Seth and walked away once more. This time Seth didn't follow pursuit. He stood there watching his former best friend walk away from him.

David finally reached his shack with thoughts racing through his head. He didn't want to believe what Seth had said was true. It couldn't be true. Aaron had described his friend to be a Poleepkwa, not a human, but then why would Aaron want him to make a promise not to be angry.


	11. The Nightmare

**Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!**

**A/N: I've made new edits to the previous chapters (not all of them). I thank you readers for being so patient with me. With college life and having 2 part-time jobs, I've been very busy. **

**Here's a new chapter to freshen your minds. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sequoya very much enjoyed the time she spent in the mountains whether it was camping, a day of fishing, or a casual hike in the woods. The Rocky Mountains became her playground.

She dreamed about it all the time. Spending countless hours wandering in the woods, occasionally watching the deer graze from a distance, and climbing rocky terrains to view the valley below.

Sequoya soon found herself in a middle of a grassland. She stood in the sunlight, basking in its warmth. It comforted her much like her grandmother's quilt did so when she slept. She began to twirl around and around with her arms stretched out as if she would on a rainy day, but she did this to create her own wind. She spun around faster and faster until she collapsed.

She closed her eyes, breathing in the beautiful scent of pine. When she opened them, she suddenly found herself in a different place. The meadow.

The grass around her seemed much taller than before.

Slowly, she stood up. She had no idea how she came to be in this place. A stream appeared in front of her as if a path was laid out before her to a destination unknown. Without even thinking, she walked over to the stream and slowly placed her bare feet into the water. She loved the feeling of the cool current of the water at her feet and the breeze of the wind in her hair.

Then, she thought she heard the Poleepkwan clicks of someone calling her name.

_"Sequoya!"_

She stopped and looked around, but saw no one around her. She began to think that maybe she imagined it. Then in a distance she heard it again.

_"Sequoya!"_

This time it sounded like it was somewhere ahead of her. That maybe it was somewhere up the stream. Cautiously, she began walking forward upstream. The further she went, the deeper and wider it got. This place seemed familiar to her, although she had no idea where this will lead her.

_"Sequoya!"_

Again she stopped and looked around. This time it sounded much further away. She picked up her pace and kept moving forward.

"Aaron?" she called out.

Everything had seemed to go unusually silent. The breeze of the wind had gone away and the only sound occupying her was the flowing stream.

"Aaron? Where are you?" she called out.

No response.

Then she heard a splash behind her and quickly turned around. There in the stream, she saw what had looked like a small pup. She knelt down to pick him up, but he flinched the moment she reached out to him.

"Oh, come here." She cooed to the cowering pup. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Slowly and cautiously, the pup came closer. Sequoya didn't want to scare him away, so she stayed still and let him come closer to her. He took small steps and began sniffing at her hands as she slowly reached out to him. Then he began licking the palm of her hand. With her other hand, she stroked his fur coat.

She picked him up and held him in her arms.

She examined his beige fur coat. The pup reached up with his nose and began licking her cheek.

"I might just take you home with me, you little cutie."

Sequoya continued up the stream with the small pup in her arms, deciding to take him along with her to this journey unknown.

The stream began deeper and deeper until she was waist deep into the water. Up ahead in the distance she could see a waterfall.

"The waterfall." She whispered to herself.

She stopped midway, mystified by it's beauty. The mist of the waterfall shimmered in the sunlight.

She looked at the pup in her arms, who stared back at her with those cute, curious eyes. "Let's get a closer look. Shall we?"

The pup then reached up and gave her another slobbery lick on the cheek, which she took as an answer.

"Good enough."

She began walking closer to the waterfall. Thoughts were going through her head about the pup. She began to wonder if he had wandered off from his mother and gotten lost. Maybe he was like her. A nomad. A wanderer. Perhaps maybe his curiosity gets the best of him.

Sequoya managed to get close enough to see that there was an opening beyond the waterfall. How could she not have seen this before?

The water reached past her waist and up to her chest. She held the pup onto her shoulders until she reached the hidden entrance behind the waterfall.

The entrance appeared much like an opening of a cave. Once she made her way in, she froze.

There, in front of her, stood a coyote. His eyes fixated on her, but he did not appear to be threatening.

Slowly, she put down the small pup and he happily made his way over to the coyote. The coyote nosed the small pup and turned his attention to Sequoya.

She watched as the coyote approached her. Seeing that he wasn't afraid of her and didn't see her as a threat, she kneeled down and reached out to the coyote as he got closer. The moment she reached out, she noticed a pair of reflecting eyes behind the coyote in the distance. The coyote in front of her licked her palm, turning her attention to him. She began petting him with her other hand. Once she did this, he got really close to her. So close, he pressed his nose on the side of her head and began sniffing at her hair as if breathing in her scent.

Sequoya wanted to push him away, but remained very still. She continued to pet him and slowly looked to where the small pup was standing. She noticed several other coyotes emerging from behind him, but these ones were much bigger and appeared more threatening. They all bared their teeth and began snarling as they came closer.

Sequoya quickly stood up and began backing away. Then she noticed the friendly coyote also bared his teeth and began snarling, but not at her. His eyes were looking behind her. Slowly, she turned around, fearing that she will see something much bigger than a coyote.

And she confirmed her worst fear.

There, standing only a few feet away, stood a wolf.

The wolf looked even more vicious than the snarling coyotes behind her. Before Sequoya had any chance to react, the wolf pounced at her.

* * *

She let out a loud gasp as she awakened from her slumber. She peered around the room as she tried to catch her breath, realizing that it was just a dream. An awfully, terrifying dream.

"What a nightmare." she uttered and got out of the bed.

She walked over to her luggage and dug out a small container. It held the cedar that was given to her by her grandmother before she left her homeland.

She held it close to her chest and walked into the bathroom. She closed the door and began pulling all the contents out of the small container. A pouch full of cedar, a lighter, and a small tray. She poured some of the cedar onto the small tray and said a small prayer before using the lighter to burn the cedar. Once the burnt incense of the cedar filled the bathroom, she bathed herself in it and breathed it in. While she was doing this, she pondered about the terrifying nightmare she just had. She took it as a warning of some sort. That maybe perhaps her visits to District 9 will become more dangerous in the future.

Normally, she wouldn't do this whole cedar thing. And by doing this, it helps her feel safe and protected from those who want to do her harm. But cedar can only do so much. It's protection is only temporary.

After the cleansing, she cleared out most of the incense from the bathroom and got ready for the day. She had already showered the night before, so it didn't take much time for her to be ready.

She fixed her hair into a braided pony tail and then left the room to go downstairs. She used the elevator, of course, so she wouldn't be seen through the front entrance.

Once the elevator doors opened she stepped out and bumped into Ojaji, causing him to drop a stack of towels he was carrying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Sequoya reached down and helped him pick up the towels.

"It's fine." he dismissed, "I was too much in a rush."

She had to fold some of the towels before stacking them in place.

"How do you like it so far in Johannesburg?"

"I like it here. It's different than what I'm use to."

"That is good."

Sequoya folded that last towel and put it with the rest of the stack and handed them to Ojaji.

"Thank you." he said upon receiving them.

"Your welcome."

"If you have time, I would like to talk to you some time today." He said as he stepped into the elevator.

"Okay!" she quickly replied before the elevator doors closed shut.

She walked out through the back door wondering what he wanted to talk to her about. She had a distinct feeling that it had something to do with Aaron. Perhaps Ojaji didn't want him back in the hotel. The thought made her angry. If that's what he wanted then she'll just have to find another hotel that allows Poleepkwa to visit. That is if she can find a hotel like that. Or perhaps she was taking it the wrong way. Maybe Ojaji wanted to talk to her about something else concerning the Poleepkwan gang, whatever they call their gang.

She walked along the street, making her way to the nearest local store to stock up on some snacks that will last her a week.

* * *

Earlier that morning ...

David slowly opened the door to Christopher's shack and stepped inside. He stealthily made his way over to the sleeping trio. He saw that Aaron had tucked himself into Christopher's arms.

He really didn't want to wake him, not when he seemed to be sleeping so peacefully. David knelt down and placed his hand on Aaron's arm. It was only then that he began to stir from his sweet slumber.

Aaron opened his eyes and turned to look at David. As soon as he saw his brother, his eyes lit up and he smiled.

_"David!"_ he trilled happily and wrapped his arms around his neck. David reciprocated the embrace, wrapping his arms around his little brother.

Aaron then let go and looked up at him with a curious look.

_"What are you doing here?"_

David didn't answer right away. The reason for him being there was just to make sure that Aaron was still safe with Christopher, since his encounter with Seth made him do some thinking. A whole lot of thinking.

_"I just wanted to see you."_

Aaron smiled once more._ "I'm glad your here. Are you going to eat breakfast with us?"_

_"There will be no time for that. I need to talk to you about your friend."_

David noticed Aaron's antennas slightly drooped. _"What did you want to talk about?"_

David eyed Christopher and Oliver who were still asleep. _"Let's talk outside." _He took Aaron by the hand and led him outside the shack.

Once they were outside, he knelt down so that he was eye level with Aaron. He noticed the apprehension in Aaron's eyes. Something about this talk was making him nervous, though he could only suspect the worse. But for now, he didn't want to question Aaron about it.

_"I want to meet your friend Sequoya. Can you arrange for us to meet?"_

Aaron seemed baffled by his request. _"I ...don't know."_

David suddenly became agitated with his response, but replied in a calm manner,_ "What do you mean 'you don't know'?"_

_"I mean, I have to talk to her about it."_

David simply gave him a nod and placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder. _"You do that and see if you can arrange our meeting on Sunday."_

_"This Sunday?"_

_"Yes. Is that problem?"_

_"No, but ..." _Aaron shifted his eyes downward as if pondering something.

_"What is it?"_

_"Do you remember the promise you made about not getting mad?"_

David gave him a meaningful look, of course, he had almost forgotten about the promise. He wasn't too sure what to say to that. He always had a hard time controlling his temper.

_"Yes, I remember."_

Aaron seemed to perk up a bit. _"I will talk to her about it then."_

_"Okay, but be on your guard."  
_

Aaron gave him a confused look before nodding his head. David then wrapped his arms around his little brother in a tight embrace. Aaron wrapped his small arms around his neck. They embraced each other for a moment too long it seems before David left for work. He couldn't help but fear for his brother's safety. If only there was a way he could protect him from the MNU.

* * *

_Well there you have it. Notice how I ended Sequoya's nightmare with the wolf pouncing at her and not on her. Just wanted to point that out. Anyway, let me know what your thoughts are._


End file.
